Running Alongside
by Fancy-Tea-Party
Summary: Two Parallel Universes, both completely different. In Universe 378 the year is 2456 and Jane Rizzoli is the captain of the spaceship Hapsha. In Universe 201 the year is 2011 and something has happened to Jane. Maura is trying to live her life normally, until she is somehow transported to Universe 378, where everything is so different, yet so perfect. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OK, wow. This story as been attacking my mind for some time now, so I've decided to finally write it.**

**I hope you guys like it, it's pretty SciFi. And I'm a huge space nerd, but I'll be the first one to admit that not everything will make sense or seem possible in this. OK, enough blabbing.**

**P.S. I do not own Rizzoli and Isles nor do I take profit for writing this story. I do however own the Ship Hapsha and her pilot Konif.**

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**Universe 378**

"_CAPTAIN JANE C. RIZZOLI. SEX: FEMALE. AGE: 33 YEAR, MARK: 2451. YEAR, END: 2456. NOW EXITING CRYOSLEEP," _said a robotic voice as Jane's eyes snapped open. Everything was blurry and the mask on her face made it hard to breath. Tubes ran along her arms and back. Gasping Jane ripped off the face mask; it floated uselessly around her neck. Her body was shivering uncontrollably. Coughing loudly, her saliva formed into little balls and floated away. Jane's legs bumped around in the small tube as they twitched in the zero gravity. Suddenly she was gasping for breath, quick gasps not being able to get enough air into her screaming lungs, her heart racing. _I need to calm down._ She told herself. She slammed her hand against the small hexagon glass door. It flashed a soft blue as it recognized her and opened.

She tried to push off into the tunnel before her, but all the tubes prevented her. Forcefully, she pulled them out of her Omnicuff, letting out a small cry of pain as the needles exited her skin and ripped off the mask, untangling herself from all the tubes. She floated out of her sleeping tube, her limbs jerking around at their own accord. She grunted as her body made contact with the wall opposite of her sleeping chambers. Luckily she had the sense to put her hair in a ponytail before she was frozen, she felt it floating around behind her, sprawling out. Jane coughed loudly, as her lungs got used to breathing again. Her muscles felt frozen and she gasped in pain as she flexed her hands, trying to thaw them out a little more. Her skin looked raw and pink, as if someone had just got done scrubbing her body with steel wool. Jane looked away and down the long tunnel. The sleeping chambers stretched along either side of her; each filled with her sleeping crewmates. Jane looked down at her Omnicuff, a soft green light blinked slowly. Clicking on it, her Holoscreen popped up with all her messages, there was a recent one from her pilot, Konif. She clicked on it and there was a bing sound as the channel connected.

"Konif, report." Jane's voice was rougher than usual, and she coughed again trying to clear it. Her body lurched with the sudden act; she gripped the railing to hold herself still.

"We just reached the outer edge of our destination, NGC 7968. We should be there within a few weeks. Speed just under 20,000 O.L.Y. Gravity should come back on in normal regions of the ship as soon as you wake up the engineers and give them the green light." Konif clicked buttons as she talked, making sure the ship stayed steady.

"How are the status reports on the medical team?" Jane floated down the tunnel reaching a set of lockers in the middle, opening hers' up.

"They're up and about, Captain. I think one's heading your way now." Sure enough a voice sounded behind Jane.

"Captain Rizzoli, it's nice to see you awake." Jane looked over her shoulder, her dog tags floating around her neck. She blinked several times, trying to clear the fog that rested over her eyes.

"Dr. Pierce. How's your team?" Jane looked back down to her Holoscreen with Konifs' face still on it. She gave a small salute and disconnected, giving Jane and the doctor privacy.

"Good, considering being in cryosleep for five years." Jane turned back around towards her open locker. Inside was her uniform, a full body outfit called the Simitu Suit, with the phrase "Captain Jane Rizzoli, Hapsha." stamped across the chest, her identification badge that allowed her access to anywhere in the ship, boots, her armor set that clipped on over the suit, a sonic rifle, a photo of her family and another one of Jane and Konif. Jane slipped her bare legs into the outfit smiling at the familiar feeling of the fabric go over her legs. She zipped it up, the suit buzzing as it turned on, recognizing Jane. She shivered as an electric charge ran the length of the suit and the suit's lights came on, they gave off a purple color, to match the dark grey of the outfit. On her left wrist the suit showed her shield capacity and what her E.E.O, _emergency environment/oxygen_, supply was. It blinked red. _Should probably recharge that. _On her right, her Omnicuff sat out, shining so often with blue words and then going blank again. Jane pushed herself around so she could face Dr. Pierce, now fully clothed.

"How soon do you think we can turn the gravity on? Konif said that we should be reaching our destination in a few weeks or so. That is if we don't run into anything." Dr. Pierce smiled remembering the last mission he was on a mission with Captain Rizzoli and the ship Hapsha. They were just doing a routine sweep of the outer Orb cloud at the edge of their solar system, when they spotted a ship wreckage. Capt. Rizzoli had recognized it as a lost ship going by the name of Ares, it had disappeared long ago. They boarded it, hoping to repair it and bring it back home, but they encountered a lethal creature, the Flux. A disgusting thing that when believed to be dead, would tear itself in half and keep coming at you. Capt. Rizzoli had risked her life in order to save her team, bearing the scar down her back where its sharp tongue had sliced through her armor, shield and skin like it was nothing. After bleeding over everything Rizzoli personally pressed the button that launched a nuke at Ares, destroying it forever. His Captain's voice brought him out of his memories.

"I'm sorry, what?" Jane huffed a little and pushed herself away from the lockers, floating down the long tunnel of frozen crewmates, Dr. Pierce right behind her.

"I said, have you woken up head engineer Kate Larsson yet?"

"No Ma'am, Ship Pilot Konif and I were going to let you make that decision." Jane merely shrugged. She floated past Larsson's tank not stopping herself, Dr. Pierce hesitated. "Captain, aren't you going to wake her up?" Jane looked over her shoulder, stopping herself before a small glass door. The words _AIR PASSAGEWAY _were written over it.

"No. I want to check in face to face with Konif first and make sure everything in the engine room is up and running as it should." Jane placed her hand over the glass, there was a flash of light as the door scanned her hand and then with a hiss it opened. "Dr. Pierce, I will see you shortly. No doubt you need to prepare for all the sick people that are coming out of Cryo."

"Don't think this is my first time waking up from Cryosleep with you aboard." Jane looked sharply at him. He smiled and held up a silver tube, green liquid inside it. She set her face to stone as he floated over to her. She held out her right arm to him, wrist up. Dr. Pierce slid his bare thumb across her Omnicuff. It flashed a dull red before with a hiss opened, bearing its guts. Panels were inside, along with wires that ran the length of it flashing lights. There with a series of needles resting in Jane's arm, a small silver port rose up allowing the Doctor to push the vial into it, administrating the green stuff into her arm. Jane hissed as what felt like fire raced through her veins. Suddenly her eyes focused and her limbs stopped twitching. Dr. Pierce gave Jane a smug smile as she quickly closed her Omnicuff, feeling better.

He saluted Jane with the accustomed three fingers to your temple, which Jane returned before slipping past the open glass door before her. _I hate this thing._ Jane thought to herself as air running through the passage launched her forward fast. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as the wall's magnetized to her suit, keeping her body from smashing against the walls, tears streaming out of her eyes from the speed, traveling the length of the ship to the H.C.C. Jane let out an "_oomph_" as the magnets suddenly stopped her travel, allowing her to float out of the now open glass doors. She entered sideways into the massive room that was nearly half a mile around. Without gravity this part of the ship is only accessible with the Air Passages. Straightening herself out she spotted Konif strapped into her chair, orange holo screens up. Graphs and numbers flashed across them, her gloved left hand running across a dial and her other swiping away an image from one of the outer cameras.

The H.C.C, _Hapsha command center,_ was three levels tall and the reinforced windows stretched the length of it, showing the vastness of space. If Hapsha were to encounter a threat, Jane could give the command to cover them up with metal plates and then holographs would appear in the place of the windows, allowing them to keep attacking and not feel the threat of the glass breaking. Konif's chair sat at the center of the second level. Large Holoscreen's sat before her showing her everything she needed to know. A chair sat on either side of her and three more below her. Konif has dubbed the people who sit there "Her Minions." Each with their own specific jobs, assisting her with whatever she needs. The third floor swept out underneath them. It was dark and eerier with no one down there. Chairs lined the edge of it, allowing you to sit back and relax when needed. Computer's lined the ground, all of which Jane over looked from her position on the first floor, in her captains chair.

"Konif, how's it going up here?" She turned around in her seat so she could salute Jane. Her dark red hair floated around wildly and her small body pressed against the restraints with each movement.

"It goes well Captain. I don't know why you always insist in coming up her whenever we get out of Cryo though." She shot Jane a grin, who smiled back at her.

"And I don't know why you always insist in calling me Captain." Konif waved her hands around, putting on an upper class accent.

"Because, it's more proper. Mmmmyeees." Jane laughed at her best friend who chuckled along with her.

"If you don't stop calling me Captain I may have to call you by your first name." Konif gasped as her hand froze on the holo dial, her eye's narrowing.

"You wouldn't dare." Jane smiled and wagged her finger at her.

"I just might. I'm going to go check on the engine room and then hopefully connect with the Luna Base, updating them with everything." Konif turned in her seat again, calling after Jane before she could launch herself up to the first floor, ignoring the stairs.

"Oh, and Jane. You look like a stick, go eat something."

"You don't look any better yourself," Jane threw back with a smile. She heard a gruff and a mumbled, "_fuck you._" as she made her way to the top floor. The light's turned on as the sensors picked up Jane's movement. She smiled as the first floor of the H.C.C. came to life. In the very center of the whole floor was a large holograph of the ship Hapsha with computers lining it, constantly updating the people who work there on the ships status. It was one of the largest fighters in the fleet, being able to house up to 3,000 crewmen, with room to spare. Jane pushed herself over to her control station, the Captain's panel. It over looked the entire room, she could see everything from her vantage point. Jane stilled her movements when a voice spoke,

"_Captain Rizzoli. So good to see you awake._" The ships VI announced, its robotic voice echoing throughout the whole H.C.C.

"Thank you Andi." The _Analyzing Networking Data Interface _VI gave Jane the chills. It's always watching the H.C.C.

"_It appears that Doctor Pierce and Specialist Pilot Olga Konif-" _There came a shout from below her of anger as Konif heard Andi use her first name. _"Have been woken up from Cryosleep. Should this unit go about making sure the rest of the crew is awakened also Captain Rizzoli?" _

"No, I want to check the rest of the ship's functions before we shake the beehive." Jane had her Holoscreen from her Omnicuff up, making sure all the schematics were updated from the Captain's command panel.

_"As you wish Captain." _Jane pushed away from the command panel and headed off towards the air passageway that would lead her to the engine room. She gripped her stomach this time as she was thrusted forward. _I need to eat something soon._ She thought to herself as the magnets stopped her movements. There was a loud humming coming from her right and as the hexagon shaped glass doors opened it got louder. There was the engine room. Gravity never reached this room so the control panels lined the walls and were set at odd angles. Hapsha's engine was massive, taking up most of what made up the ships size. It groaned as she entered, as if to ask, _why are you here? You don't know how to work me._

"Shut up you moody thing," Jane grumbled to herself as she floated over to the main panel making sure it matched the schematics from her Omnicuff. Seeing that everything matched, Jane swiped her hand across the cuff, making it go blank again. She looked down at it. Her name was stamped into the bottom part of it, other than that it was dark silver, just like her suit. But if you shifted it just right a dark blue sheen covered it, letting you know that it was on. Jane ran her thumb over it and a square section on it popped open with a small hiss. She grabbed in and flipped it up, revealing the inside of it. There, the needles were stuck into her arm, for how long, she couldn't remember. They monitored her heart beat, stamina, sickness and anything else you can think off. But that's not what she cared about. She reached around the needles and grabbed something she hid there, her Mother's wedding ring. Her fingers fiddled with it. She missed her family greatly. The memory of her mother giving it to her the first time suddenly surfaced.

"_You don't have to give it to me Ma, I'll be fine." Jane tried to push the ring back into her Mother's hand who didn't take it back._

"_It'll keep you safe Janie. It's good luck. And you know that's all I want." Jane hugged her mother as her Father walking._

"_Jane? What are you doing here? I thought Hapsha leaves in a few minutes?"_

"_The ship can't leave unless it has a Captain right?" Jane joked with her father as he hugged her. There was a sound of feet as someone ran down the hallway._

"_Don't go Jane!" said her middle brother, Frankie. He was a grown man and by the sweat that was running down his chest it looked like he had ran all the way here from his house._

"_Frankie I have too." Jane frowned. Suddenly Frankie thrusted something at her, a small Holotablet._

"_Frankie what's this?" Jane looked down at it, there showing up on the screen for all to see were recruit papers for The Orion fleet. Jane snapped her head up._

"_Frankie! You joined the fleet?!" Jane threw her arms around her brother as her mother gasped, ripping the Holotablet out of her hands._

Jane shuddered, exiting the memory. _I'll see you soon enough. _Due to the shift of the Universe and how long it takes to travel across it, what's five years in Cryo sleep for Jane is only five months for the people back home. She clutched the ring and put it back inside the small compartment shutting it. Jane pushed herself off the panel floating back over to the Air Passage. She exited feeling even more nauseous than before. She grabbed the wall and held her stomach for a few minutes. A voice made her jump.

"Captain Rizzoli." She snapped her head around facing the head scientist floating there in his Simitu Suit, Omnicuff glowing a dark red.

"Doctor Charles. What are you doing out of Cryo?" Jane faced him, hands behind her back, face blank.

"I had Andi put a timer on my tank just like yours, I wanted to be awake before everyone else, and making sure everything is in the right place."

Jane narrowed her eyes. Doctor Jeff Charles was a royal pain in her ass. His science team had hired Hapsha from The Orion Fleet and dragged them all the way out here to fiddle with some instruments while they floated around a black hole. Jane knew they were trying to observe their closest parallel Universe, _Universe 201. _But she didn't understand is why they needed to be so close to a black hole to do this. Dr. Charles had tried to explain it to her once, but she was too busy to fully listen.

"That seems reasonable. But if you'll excuse me I need to use the Holoroom." Jane shot back. She gripped the wall and pushed off of it, heading over to the black sliding doors. She heard Jeff grumble something as she floated away but decided to ignore it. With a soft hiss the doors slowly opened revealing a medium sized domed room. There was a pathway that led out into the middle of it, she floated over to it and positioned herself over it, wiping her hand across the panel. The room was dark, the walls black with soft blue lights in it, and she blinked a little as the table turned on with glowed orange. She tried to keep her body as still as possible as suddenly the room hummed, the doors closing behind her. She clicked on _Orion fleet headquarters, luna base. _The walls in the room slowly started to move, spinning faster and faster as they scanned her, then a flickering image appeared all around the walls, so it was like she was standing in the middle of the room. Everything had a dull look to it though, like it was all layered on top of each other, no real sense of depth. People were walking, talking to each other. Some ran by needing to get somewhere, and then suddenly Admiral Jones showed up before her.

"Captain Rizzoli. I'm glad to see you checking in. Although I don't know why you're calling me, it seems that your gravity is still off?" He raised an eyebrow at her, a hidden smile tugging at the corner of his lips. She saluted to him formally before replying.

"Admiral Jones you know that protocol states I have to report as soon as I have exited Cryo." A woman walked up to the Admiral and handed him a Holotablet, when she noticed Jane's holographic form standing there she smiled. Admiral read the tablet for a few seconds before saying something under his breath towards the woman. Her smile dropped and she ran away.

"Well, I hope everything is all as it should be?" He turned his attention back towards Jane.

"Yes, Sir. Pilot Konif says that we should be reaching NGC 7968 in a few weeks and I will be waking up Engineer Kate Larsson as soon as I'm done reporting to you, Sir." There came some shouting from the Admiral's side of the call and he looked around. He shouted back at them.

"Well don't just stand there, send in fleet seven to take care of it!" More people ran by the holograph. Jane's curiosity peeked.

"Sir, if I may?" Admiral Jones nodded. "What is going on?" Admiral paled a little.

"Nothing you should be worried about Captain Rizzoli. Just focus on getting Hapsha up and running and get back as soon as you can." He saluted her and clicked out of the call. Jane was thrusted into darkness; she could hear the walls groan as they slowed down coming to a stop. She floated there for a second longer thinking. _If it was really bad, I know Casey would call Hapsha back._ Jane turned back towards the table, shutting it off. She pushed her way back into the main science laboratory again, Dr. Charles nowhere to be seen. Jane was shot forward in the Air Passageway. As she pushed herself out she called Dr. Pierce with her Omnicuff.

"Will you meet me by Kate Larsson's Cryotank, I think we should wake her now, get her to turn on the gravity and then wake everyone else up. Is your team almost ready?"

"Yes, I think we are. I'll see you in a few minutes." She closed out of the call and went back over to her locker. Now that the gravity was going to be turned back on she figured she should probably put on her boots. A few minutes later Dr. Pierce crawled out of the Air Passageway. Jane stayed back as Dr. Pierce fiddled with the dials on the door. There came a loud draining sound as the frozen liquid was thawed instantly followed by a hacking sound as Kate coughed. The glass door opened allowing her to detangle herself before floating out. Jane averted her eyes. Kate was clad in nothing but a tank top and her underwear, skin pink, limbs jerking. She gasped and let out another round of coughing. Dr. Pierce quickly grabbed her wrist and slipped the silver vile with the same green liquid in it into Kate's Omnicuff. Her limbs stopped jerking almost instantly and she hissed.

"I hate going in that thing." She noticed Jane floating a little ways away and quickly saluted her, formal as always. "Captain Rizzoli." Her accent always fascinated Jane. Kate was from one of the first settled planets, Illeth.

"Engineer Larsson." Jane saluted her back. Dr. Pierce and Jane hung back allowing Kate to get dressed in her Simitu suit before speaking with her.

"We are just waiting on you to give the green light so we can turn on the gravity and start to wake everyone else up." Jane swiped her hand across her cuff, screen's coming up. She sent the data that she had gotten on the engine over to Kate's cuff, which glowed green.

"It seems you already did my job." Kate said with a smile. Jane nodded her head a little bit.

"Anything I can do to speed up the process, I want everyone to be at their top shape before we near the black hole."

"So we're still goin' through with it then, eh?" Kate asked her, eyebrow rose.

"Of course we are." Dr. Pierce shot in before Jane could answer.

"Look. Dr. Connor," Doctor Peirce smiled at the use of his first name. "You do know as we near this blasted thing a lot of people are going to start getting sick. I don't know why you volunteered to do this." Before the Doctor could answer Jane said,

"He didn't volunteer. He is assigned to Hapsha, wherever this ship goes he goes." Connor grumbled a little, but quickly perked up.

"It still is fascinating though don't you think Kate? I mean being able to actually observe a parallel Universe with the use of the black hole, truly fascinating." Jane paid closer attention to their conversation, truly hearing why they are here in plain talk.

"Yes it is, but I don't know why we need to risk such a marvelous ship like this. We could just send a bloody probe all the way out here and then look at Universe 201 through that." Kate shrugged a little.

"I don't think we could." Jane finally spoke up. Connor and Kate looked at her. "I'm told that Dr. Charles is planning on opening a viewing portal." Her two shipmates exchanged looks.

"That man is crazy." Kate said smoothly. "Why would he want to do that? Doesn't he know that that could tear a hole through, like, everything?"

"I think that's why he wants to do it this far out and close to a black hole. So it doesn't really damage our Universe very much." Connor answered.

"What about 201?" Jane inquired. Both Kate and Connor looked a little grim. Jane's face hardened. Suddenly her Omnicuff blinked, opening it up Konif's face popped up, her red hair floating around.

"Yo, Jane, where the hell is the gravity, I hate flying like this." Kate waved behind Jane's shoulder. "Ahh, I see you have wakened the nerd. Hurry up Kate and turn it on, I have to pee." Jane closed out of the call and turned back around to Kate.

"Well you heard her." Jane smiled at them as they parted. Jane heading towards the cockpit, Kate to the engine room and Connor to the med bay. Jane pushed herself out of the long tube groaning and holding her stomach. Konif turned and looked at her.

"Jesus Captain, you act like this is your first time in zero G."

"Shut up." Jane grumbled at her. Konif laughed as she shifted in her chair, the belts holding her down tugged at her.

"So, Kate's gunna turn the gravity back on then." Just then Jane's cuff blinked, Kate's round face appearing.

"Alright cowgirl's and cowboy's. Everything looks good here."

"Hey, make sure you strap that down..." came Connor's voice through the call.

"Turning on gravity in permitted areas, Wing D." There came a loud snap sound as Kate turned the lever. "Wing C." Another snapping sound followed shortly by laughter from the medbay. "Wing B." Kate grunted as she lifted the lever and locked it into place. "And Wing A." Suddenly there came a low hum followed by a groaning noise as the magnets and weights hidden behind the far walls started to spin around and around the arm they were in. Jane started to feel herself getting heavier, her stomach flopped and she smiled as butterfly's erupted in it. Konif let out a loud laugh as they slowly got heavier. Jane's feet touched the ground softly, the rest of her still felt weightless. Konif threw her a worried look, feeling the same thing.

"Larsson, what's going on?" Kate's face disappeared for a second, she grunted out.

"Give me a sec'." There was a loud groan and the wall's appeared to vibrate, suddenly Jane was slammed into the ground full force, her legs not anticipating her sudden weight. Jane quickly stood up on shaky legs as Konif unhooked the belts holding her into her chair. "Sorry about that, the weights weren't spinning as fast as they should have." The humming of the magnets and weights spinning became background noise to Jane.

"It's alright Larsson." She closed out of the call after receiving a salute from Kate. Konif stretched in her chair, letting out a yawn.

"Oh yeah... That's good." Jane rolled her eyes.

"Come on, let's head down to the medbay, they have food there." At the promise of food Konif jumped out of her chair. Walking side by side with Jane she only came up to her shoulder, her long dark red hair cascading down her shoulders.

"I don't know if it's possible but I think you're skinnier than me." Konif shot up at Jane. They stepped into the elevator at the center of the H.C.C. Clicking on the _Wing C _button, lights flashing in the slits at the top of the lift the only indicator that they were moving at all.

"So, how was Cassseeey?" Konif dragged out his name. Jane glared at her friend.

"He was just fine, Pilot Konif." Konif cringed at the title and Jane sighed. "He's fine I guess, didn't really act like anything happened. In fact Luna base was busy when I called, he seemed rather distracted." Konif raised her eyebrows.

"Distracted? Do you think something's happening?" Jane shrugged.

"If there was, you know damn well he would call Hapsha back."

"Would he though Jane? We're so far out here, by the time we make it back five months would have gone by again. He may not want waste all that fuel." Jane looked down at the ground, lost in her thoughts. Konif knew her well enough to drop the subject. "Ugh. I just remembered we have to eat the bean paste crap for a day." Konif threw her head back. Jane's stomach lurched at the thought.

"Gods, I hate that stuff." Jane said as they stepped off the elevator.

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**Please tell me what you think!**

**This story will jump back and forth between this Universe, 378 and what our own Universe 201. I will go into great detail exploring both of them until they meet later on. **

**If you have any questions please feel free to ask me them in a from of a review or PM, I am more than willing to answer.**

**Take care. -FTP**


	2. Chapter 2

**Universe 201**

"It's Detective Jane Rizzoli," she said thickly towards the over weight man she was questioning.

"Yeah, sure. Hot piece of ass like you? No way you're a Detective." He sat back in his chair smugly. Frost leaned forward menacingly ready to defend Jane. She rested her hand on his shoulder, silently telling him it's OK.

"Well, a _hot piece of ass _is charging you with second degree murder." The man perked up now, face shocked.

"What the hell do you mean second degree murder?"

"Where were you last night around five in the afternoon?"

"I was at my shop, workin'." He crossed he's arms, glaring at Jane and Frost.

"Now we're getting somewhere." Korsak's voice rang into the ear piece she was wearing. They we're sitting in the BPD interrogation room. They cut a lucky break with this case when Frost stumbled upon a business's surveillance footage that showed the entrance of the alleyway the woman was murdered in. The man sitting in front of them was Carl Joseph; he showed up walking out of the alleyway right around the time Maura had dubbed the time of death of there victim. Frost looked up at Jane.

"Bullshit." Jane slammed down a blown up image of Carl walking out, time stamped 5:03 P.M. Carl's face paled, but he kept quiet. Frost spoke up.

"It just so happens you walked out when," He laid out three photos of their Jane Doe's battered face and body before Carl. "She was murdered. We can't help but think that you had something to do with it." Carl looked disgusted and he pushed the photos away from him.

"NO! I didn't have nothin' to do with that bitche's death." Jane sat down next to Frost, leaning forward. She noticed a small flicker of something in his eyes and then it was gone.

"You know who she is?" Carl shook his head, Jane sighed trying at another tactic.

"Then why did you tell us you were at your auto shop when you weren't Carl?" He looked away again.

"If I tell you you'll arrest me." Frost let a gruff laugh. Just then Jane's phone buzzed. She pulled it out and read the quick text from Maura,

_I just finished the autopsy. Come down when you can. Found something maybe. _

"Jane? Need me to come in?" Jane nodded at the two way mirror and the door opened letting Korsak to walk in. Walking by him Jane said,

"Try to get everything out of him, he knows something. I'm going to go see what Maura's got." Korsak nodded at took a spot behind Carl. Jane let the door close firmly behind her and made her way over to the elevators.

* * *

She rubbed her hands as the cold air of the morgue assaulted them. Maura looked up from a clip board she was holding and smiled at Jane. She returned the greeting and said,

"What do you have Maur? Carl up there isn't speaking." Maura finished writing something on her clip board before walking over to the draped body that lay on her autopsy table. She was around thirty year's old, long brown hair and a small scar on her cheek. She was skinny for her height and when Maura pulled back the cover to show Jane something, she could see the woman's ribs and her hip bones lurched out. The woman's body was covered in small cuts and larger bruises. Maura pointed towards largest bruise on the right serratus anterior.

"That's not the cause of death right?" Jane looked up at Maura who frowned a little.

"No. I'm ruling the cause of death asphyxiation." Jane raised her eyebrow at her. Maura grabbed the x-ray machine and swiveled it around towards the dark purple marks they were looking at. They both looked up at the screen; almost all of the woman's ribs on her right side were broken. Jane let out a low whistle.

"Damn that must have hurt." Maura pointed at the screen with her pen, ignoring Jane's curse.

"Her forth rib was broken here," she ran her pointer showing Jane the break. "And entered the right lung here, puncturing it."

"So, what? Her lung filled up with blood and she choked on it?" Maura shook her head again.

"No. I almost missed it with her face being so beaten." Maura leaned down towards the woman's face and turned it to show Jane something. "There's bruising around her mouth, cheeks and upper nose." Jane finally saw it, there was a bruise starting to show, it looked like a hand print.

"So the killer beat her, broke her ribs and leg and then suffocated her with his hand?" Jane guessed.

"It would appear so." Maura said, frowning a little bit at Jane's guessing.

"Hmmm. Did they leave any prints?" Jane rubbed her hands a little bit, deep in thought.

"No they didn't. But I asked Susie to check on Jane Doe's prints to see if anything came up." As if she knew they were talking about her Susie walked in.

"Here are the test results you wanted on the skin and Jane Doe's fingerprints." Maura nodded at Susie who left. Maura read quietly over the paper, Jane rocking on her heels waiting.

"Her Name is Jessica Givenchy and the skin I found underneath her fingernails didn't come up with anything." Jane frowned.

"I'll ask Frost to look up Jessica and see what we can find out about her." Jane pulled out her cell phone.

"I found something else too Jane." Maura added in, hoping this would help her best friend. "There was excess vaginal tearing." Jane looked up at Maura,

"Jessica's killer raped her?" Maura pulled the cover back up over the deceased woman before answering.

"I don't think so. The tears look old; I would say they happened a few days prior to her death." Maura looked down at her clipboard but Jane's voice drew her attention away from it.

"Maybe she did get raped and she reported it and the man," Maura jumped in,

"Or woman." Jane ignored her and kept talking,

"Killed her for reporting it." Jane snapped her fingers, glad that this case looked like it was coming to a close.

"Must you always jump to conclusion?" Maura asked her. Jane slipped her phone back into its case on her belt.

"Yup. I'm going to go head up to the brick and see what the boys got out of Carl and fill them in with everything that you told me." Jane quickly excited the room, leaving Maura by herself again. Maura turned her attention back towards her clip board. She jumped a little as arms wrapped around her waist and someone nuzzled their face into the side of her neck, sprinkling it with soft kisses.

"I knew you forgot something." Maura murmured turning around in Jane's arms kissing her hard. Jane smiled through the kiss pulling back to look at her.

"I," a peck on the nose. "Will," on her right cheek. "Never," on her left. "Forget." Jane kissed Maura's lips which quickly grew deeper, Maura let out a soft moan as Jane pushed herself hard against her. Jane's phone vibrating made both women jump. Not letting go of Maura, Jane reached down and read the text message from Frost.

_Stop making out with your girlfriend and get up here._

Jane smiled. "I have to go Maur. But we're still on for lunch?" Maura kissed Jane again as she let go of her finally.

"Yes we are." Jane waved goodbye through the glass windows as she walked away.

* * *

Jane was greeted with Frost waiting for her outside of the elevator.

"I ran Jessica's name and she's been charged with several accounts of prostitution. We also managed to get Carl to tell us everything." Jane walked with him to the brick.

"What did he say?"

"That he was there because he was buying cocaine from he's dealer."

"Do we know who that is?" Korsak barged in through the doors then, folder in hand.

"He goes by the name of Titian, but his real name is Jay Lukas. Get this, he's Jessica's pimp." Jane looked over the old case folder that Frost handed her after her was done reading it. She pulled out her cell phone sending a quick text.

"Why don't we go meet this Titian," Jane said, standing up and grabbing her blazer.

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to stay here and see what I can dig up on him." Frost said as he sat down at the computer.

"Text me what you get." Jane threw over her shoulder.

* * *

"Vanilla!" someone shouted from behind Jane. Korsak gave Jane a sideways look as they turned around to face Rondo. "When you call, I come runnin'." Rondo gave Jane a once over.

"Rondo. I was wondering if you could help us locate a man that goes by the name Titian." Rondo rubbed his hands together.

"Titian… hmm, I know that name sounds familiar…" Jane slapped twenty bucks into his hand. "It's still kinda fuzy." With a sigh Jane gave him another twenty. "He normally hangs out around that joint called the Fly Cat. Always has his homies around him and his girls too. If you're goin' after him Vanilla I would be careful." Jane nodded her head as Rondo left.

"Are you sure we can trust him Jane?" Korsak asked as they made their way down the street, looking for the club Rondo had said.

"Yes Korsak, he's helped me out plenty of times." Korsak grunted and they grew silent. Women walked by them, giving them a looks before they kept walking. Jane sighed, she had worked this street before, and she knew how hard it was. Suddenly Korsak spoke up.

"You and the Doc seem to be going steady." Jane smiled at Korsak.

"Yeah we are. I'm glad we finally decided to get together. It's been the happiest month of my whole life." Korsak was taken back at Jane's openness, usually she would close up and give him clipped answers when it came to her personal life. He took advantage of it, teasing her.

"Have you told her you loved her yet?" Korsak made a gushy face at Jane who shoved his shoulder playfully.

"No I have not old man." Korsak faked hurt.

"Old man!" He grasped at his chest. Jane laughed at him and kept walking, the club in site. They stepped into a large dark lit room, a bar at one side and booths sunken into the ground lined the floor, and there was a stage where a girl was dancing on a pole in front of a large group of people, no one really paying attention to her. Jane and Korsak walked over tense, ready for anything. Jane spoke up first.

"Jay Lukas?" The crowd went silent, all glaring at Jane and Korsak.

"Who wants to know?" said a small white man sitting in the middle of the group.

"Detective Jane Rizzoli and Detective Vince Korsak. We're with the Boston Police Department, we would like to ask you a few questions," Jane eyed the group. "Alone."

"I don't have to talk to you." Jay said looking over at a woman sitting next to him, gently rubbing his leg.

"Did you know Jessica Givenchy?" The woman's movements stilled as Jay's face paled. He waved his hand and everyone got up and left, including the dancer.

"What the fuck has she done now?" Jay asked.

"She's dead." Korsak deadpanned. Jane glanced at him as Jay leaned back into his seat rubbing his face, clearly shaken.

"Were where you last night at five P.M.?" Jane asked.

"I was here… Doing business," He added quickly.

"What kind of business?" Korsak asked.

"I don't have to tell you that." Jay spat at Korsak.

"Can you prove that you were here?" Jane asked taking notes in her field journal.

"Yeah, Hector was here with me." He pointed towards the man that was behind the bar.

"We have someone else saying that you were meeting them at the alleyway on sixth at five. Know anything about that?" Korsak asked trying to get enough information out of this man as he could before he got scared and stopped talking. Jay stilled his movements.

"Yeah, I was supposed to go, but I couldn't make it, so I sent Jessica instead." Jane and Korsak exchanged a look. Jane's phone vibrated with a phone call. Seeing it was Frost Jane excused herself and answered it.

"Frost what's up?"

"JANE GET OUT THE HELL OUT OF THERE!" He yelled into the phone, she could hear sirens in the background.

"Frost slow down, what now?" Korsak looked over at her, worried.

"ITS CARL! Carl killed Jessica and is now going after Jay! You have to get out of there!"

"I thought Carl was still at the bullpen?" Jane asked hurriedly, waving Korsak over.

"No! We released him because we couldn't hold him for anything after making that deal with him. JUST GET OUT OF TH-" Sounds of gun shots ripped through the air. Jane ducked, feeling Korsak's arm go around her shoulders, protecting her. When they stopped Korsak and her pulled out there guns simultaneously and took cover.

"JAY!" Came a yell from the front of the store as Carl kicked it down. The man cowered behind Jane and Korsak. Jane popped up quickly to get a look at Carl. He had an automatic rifle grasped in his hands and a pistol strapped to his leg, he was also wearing a bulky vest, not a bullet proof one, but something was inside of it. Carl fired again, this time at the bar. Jane heard screams as people were hit. Sirens could be heard off in the distance.

"Carl! Stop this!" Jane yelled from their position behind a turned over table. He fired the gun again and bullet holes appeared above the wall Jane was next to. She ducked as drywall dust fell on her. Korsak stood up and fired at Carl who ducked behind the bar.

"No I won't stop till I kill that BASTERED!" Carl yelled, spraying them with more bullets. Korsak stood up again offering Jane cover fire as she moved up to get a better angle on Carl. Jane leaned out behind a wall she crouched behind and fired, Carl quickly ducked avoiding her shots. Korsak ran forward to get closer also, but Carl jumped up and fired, hitting Korsak in the leg making him fall with a cry. Jane snapped around the wall, gun raise, and eyes like fire. She pulled the trigger shooting her gun twice into Carl's chest, making him fly back. Korsak was lying on the ground clutching his leg and when she got near him he said,

"Go, make sure he's dead, I'll be alright." Jane lingered for a second before jogging over to behind the bar where Carl's body laid. Jane was a few feet from him as he coughed up blood, with a grin he choked out,

"Die you pig." Jane watched as he pressed a red button he was holding. She turned and started to run away from him but she was assaulted with a wall of flame as Carl blew himself up.

* * *

**Universe 378**

Konif and Jane stepped off of the elevator when Jane suddenly placed her hand against the wall for support holding her side.

"Ow!" Konif looked over at her.

"You all right there Captain?" She placed her hand on Jane's back. Jane straightened up, rubbing her abdomen.

"Yeah, I just suddenly got a pain in my side." She continued to rub as they walked towards the medbay.

"It's probably because you havn't eaten anything."

"I'm sure that's it."

* * *

**Universe 201**

Frost dived back from the building as an explosion erupted from it.

"JANE! VINCE!" He yelled, S.W.A.T. cars pulled up next to the building and the men took position, allowing the flames to die down. Maura stepped up to Frost starting to run in but he quickly grabbed her.

"No Maura! Stay back here!" He signaled a uni to hold Maura back.

"JANE!" She yelled trying to fight against the arms holding her.

"Maura, I will personally make sure she gets out of there." Frost grabbed her shoulders and looked into that beautiful horrified face.

"Barry… _please._"

Frost bolted for the broken door and entered the building, arm covering his face trying not to breathe in the smoke. A table moved and there was coughing. He ran over to find Korsak covered in grim, a gash in his forehead and bleeding from a shot in the leg. He coughed loudly before saying,

"Barry, Jane. She was over there when-" He was assaulted by another wave of coughing. Frost looked over to where Korsak pointed. The bar was nothing more than broken wood lying around. He didn't even bat an eye when he spotted a severed hand. He walked over, looking out for Jane anywhere. He then spotted her. She was covered in a pile of broken wood and half of a table. Running over he lifted the table off, yelling,

"I NEED A MEDIC IN HERE NOW!"

One side of her suit was burnt off completely leaving her exposed. Large shards of wood stabbed into her stomach, leg and shoulder; all gushing blood. Her skin was black and red in areas, in other's gone all together. He could see the bones in Jane's left arm and when he looked up to her face he tried to wipe his own tears away. She was staring at him with her right eye, her left not responding. She was shaking violently, her own tears rolling down her face. The left side of her face was burnt off, reveling her skull underneath. Her tongue flicked out against her tongue, trying to form words. Frost leaned forward listening.

"T-t-tell," she coughed loudly but continued. "Maura that I-" She started to cough more, blood spluttering out of her mouth. Her eye lolled in the back of her skull as her twitching got worse. Suddenly hands were pulling Frost back as the medics took over. Frost was dazed as he walked out of the building, finding Korsak on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on. He ripped it off to talk to the ashen faced man.

"FROST! Jane? Please tell me!?" Frost didn't answer. Jane was wheeled out of the building, her wounds exposed for everyone to see. There came a scream as Maura finally saw Jane.

"NO!" She fought hard against the man that was holding her, desperate to get to Jane. He finally let go and she ran forward.

Jane was still shaking, lurching herself around, the EMTs trying to hold her still. Everyone became silent as they saw Jane and watched as Maura who was sobbing, grasp her undamaged hand gripping it tightly. Those signature long black locks no more, her intimidating face forever ruined, her sculpted abs and legs no longer able to help her take down a wanted person. Jane Rizzoli would never be the same if she lived this. Maura Isles would never be the same. They loaded her up into the ambulance, telling Maura that she couldn't come in. She turned quickly to Frost who was already running to his car.

* * *

As soon as they got to the hospital the parking lot was full of police cars. Parking randomly Maura and Frost bolted for the ER. The waiting room was packed full of cops, Frankie spotted them, Angela gripping his arm.

"Tell me it's not true!" Frankie almost yelled, tears in his eyes, Angela was already sobbing. Maura pushed herself forward not caring for the conversation, one thing on her mind. They wouldn't' allow her in because Jane was being rushed to emergency surgery, and that's all they could tell her. Maura sank into a chair, the image of a destroyed Jane burning in her mind's eye.

They waited for what felt like days until finally a Doctor came out.

"Jane Rizzoli?" Everyone stood up, listening. "Uhm, I need to speak with the family of Jane." Angela looked around the room at everyone standing there.

"This is Jane's family. We can all hear it." She wiped at her eyes as Maura looped her arm through hers. Maura had yet to speak more than a few words, not really knowing what to say. The Doctor cleared his throat before speaking to the forty plus people in the room.

"Jane Rizzoli has suffered a major injury. She has third degree burns covering ninety percent of her body." The crowd of people gasped a little. "Three pieces of broken wood were recovered from her abdomen; we did what we could to stop the bleeding. We had to remove a part of her liver, stomach and small intestine. As for the pieces of shrapnel that had pierced her shoulder and leg, they did minimal damage." The crowed sighed a little. "However, she became too unstable to finish the surgery. She is in the ICU. We're waiting until she becomes more stable to open her back up. We are allowing visitors but only one at a time." Angela followed the doctor to Jane's room while the rest waited in the waiting room. They received news of Korsak. He was doing fine and they managed to get the bullet out with no trouble. Some people went to go visit him to pass the time.

* * *

Maura was sitting next to Jane's side looking at her. White bandages covered her whole body, except her right hand, which was clutched in Maura's. Maura wasn't saying anything, she was silently crying and sending what Jane had always called good vibes towards her to help her recover. Suddenly beeping on the heart monitor drew Maura's attention. It grew faster and more sporadic, Jane started to jerk. Doctors and nurses arrived in the room; they forced Maura out who was fighting them, wanting to stay. Dark arms wrapped around her and pulled her out into the hallway, Frost murmured words of comfort to Maura as they watched through the room window. The monitor drew a flat line, a haunting _beeee_ echoed throughout the room and hall. They watched, Maura shaking and Frost standing like stone, as they set the paddles to Jane's chest and she was shot up with the electricity that raced through her. The monitor continued its mocking tone. They tried three more times before the Doctor stepped back with a sigh.

"Time of death 11:57 A.M."

"NOOO!" Maura screamed loudly, Frost holding her tightly.

* * *

_**oh my gosh.**_

**So that wasn't so nice of me now was it?**

**PLEASE! Stick with me on this. Everything happened in this chapter for a reason. And in due time, it will all be explained, I promise.**

**Thank you for reading this and giving it a chance.**

**Take care. FTP**


	3. Chapter 3

**Universe 378**

"Is your side still hurting you?" Konif asked Jane. She was rubbing her stomach, her face in a grimace.

"Yeah it is, but I'm pretty sure it'll go away as soon as I actually eat something." Jane made a show of removing her hand and focusing on walking down the long corridor. It was silent without the other crew mates. Their boots clanged against the metal grates that covered the floor. Jane's Simitu suit shifted into a darker color of grey trying to blend in with the walls. Konif noticed and looked over at her.

"You still haven't fixed that thing?" Jane looked down at her suit. It was almost like a second layer of skin really. She swiped her Omnicuff, turning it on and fixed the color.

"I just haven't really gotten around to it. I mean what's the point; we wear clothes over it anyways."

"Speaking of wearing things…" Konif trailed off. She took a right turn, not looking back expecting Jane to follow. Jane let out a huff.

"If you're changing, then I'm going to go back and grab something from my chambers." Jane slowed down starting to turn when a groan was heard from the small woman.

"If you do that we have to head all the way back to Wing A. Can't you wait until we get our food and make sure the medical team is A-OK first?" Jane stood there; slightly uncomfortable with her being in her suit, but the need to eat something won her over. Jane rubbed her face and followed Konif to her room. They made their way down to the personnel area of Wing C. Konif being the pilot had a lager room then most, her status aboard Hapsha well respected. Konif opened the door from her Omnicuff as they got closer to it and walked in, Jane right behind her. Jane had been inside her best friends room before, often times spending nights playing an old Earth game, chess; Jane usually winning. Konif walked over to a cabinet where her clothes were, while Jane plopped herself down on top of a small red couch. She spotted the chess set that sat a little out of reach. Konif's father had carved it for her before he was shipped off to fight in the Olnich War. At the time Konif and Jane were at the academy, Jane perusing military training and Konif going after becoming the best pilot.

"Do you remember when we tried to teach Chess to Shafter and it beat us in a few moves?" Konif laughed at Jane remembering their alien friend.

_"Shafter!" Jane spotted the seven foot tall Charkgin from across the room, eager to talk to her friend. At first she didn't really get along with the tall green thing. Not being able to fully understand its humor and references, not to mention the lake of a mouth was nerve racking. It had three blue eyes on its face and that was all. There were slits in its throat allowing it to breathe and speak when necessary. The Charkgin didn't speak like humans did, instead focusing on body motions and hand gestures. But this young Charkgin had traveled to Earth and learned the way's of the Humans, hoping to bridge the gap between the two people. _

_ "Jane." Its voice was low and hummed, going up and down in different pitches. Jane's translator that was surgical placed in her ear helped her get a clearer understanding of what the alien was saying the Charkgin's accent was very thick. The Charkgin were peaceful after they learned that the humans only wanted to explore worlds and space and not destroy everything in their path and Shafter had befriended Jane and Konif. "Olga." Shafter had always refused to call Konif by her last name, going on about how in its coulter it would be deemed rude. After awhile Konif didn't seem to mind._

_ "Kloonichtenshvesta?! Hey!" Jane noticed the slight squint in Shafter's eyes; humor._

_ "Closer this time Olga." Shafter said. Konif had always tried to pronounce Shafter's real name, never getting it. Konif smiled. Shafter's eyes noticed something in Konif's arms._

_ "What do you carry Olga?" Shafter folded its arms behind its back, always the polite one of the three. They were standing in Wing C hallway, heading over to the Shafter's room, wanting to introduce it to chess, just like they said they would if they got stationed on a ship together. Just so happens it was Hapsha under the command of Captain Korsak. _

_ "Oh, this is chess, the game we were telling you about." Konif removed the blanket that was covering the board and smiled. The holes in Shafter's neck vibrated with its hum of glee. It turned to the side, waiting for Jane and Konif to take the lead towards Konifs chambers. The door slid open and Shafter ducked its head to enter right after Jane. That's when Jane noticed it._

_ "Shafter! You're hurt." On Shafter's wrist was a bandage. Jane reached out and grasped her friends three fingered webbed hand, turning it so she could get a better look at the wound, but a hum from Shafter caught her attention. _

_ "You mistake wound from rite of passage." Konif placed the chess board down and spun around._

_ "Don't tell me!" Shafter hummed louder removing the bandage, to reveal a port of needles sticking out of its arm. "You're getting an Omnicuff!?" Konif was beside herself, throwing her arms around Shafter's waist, suddenly freezing. "Oh, god I forgot." Shafter stood frozen, not anticipating the contact with a Human. Just as Konif started to pull away, Shafter placed a multi-jointed arm across her back hugging her back._

_ "I have grown accustomed to such signs of affection Olga, please; do not feel the need to apologies." Konif stepped back allowing Jane to question the alien further._

_ "They finally figured out how to make it work for the Charkgin?" Shafter closed two of its eyes leaving the third open, pleased._

_ "Yes they did. Although I volunteered to try it out first to help figure out all the risks before your people send them out to my people." Jane reached out and grabbed one of Shafter's hands._

_ "You do the Charkgin right by this Shafter." Jane smiled up at it. Shafter opened its eyes letting the blue fill them all the way up, honor. _

_ "I will always protect my people. Now, show me this game of chess you two are always talking about." They led Shafter over to the table that held the board. Jane and Konif sat down and played a match, knowing not to explain anything to Shafter, its keen eyes picking up all the moves and learning. Next Jane and Shafter played; it beat her in less than five moves._

They hadn't played with Shafter since then.

"Do you think its OK? Going back to the Charkgin I mean, after being gone so long?" Jane looked over at Konifs back as she buttoned up a shirt.

"I'm sure Shafter is OK Konif. You shouldn't worry. After all, we are scheduled to meet up with a Charkgin ship here in a few days and I heard that Shafter has requested to be put upon Hapsha." Jane smiled as Konif whipped around, staring at Jane. She had failed to mention this to her because she wanted to surprise her with the promise of seeing one of their oldest friends.

"Jane… You better not be kidding me." Her eyes were wide, showing just the slight fear that Jane might be in fact kidding.

"Konif, it's been ten years, Shafter promised to be back aboard this ship and see us again five years ago. But the Cryosleep affected that. It sent word before we left, Konif, Shafter will be here." Jane added this last part softly. It wasn't lost on her that Konif and Shafter had a deeper connection than Jane and Shafter. It had rescued Konif from being burnt to death when a ship's jets suddenly turned on; Shafter had thrown itself in front of Konif, The Simitu suit that the Charkgin made protecting her from death. Konif stood there frozen a little bit before turning back towards finishing getting dressed. Jane looked back over to the carved wood waiting.

"Let's go get some food then." Konifs voice drew her out of her own thoughts.

They walked down the hallway in silence. They passed some hallway windows that showed the vastness of space, here and there twinkles of light flickered from very distant stars. Konif had changed into a loose button up shirt and pants, her Simitu suit all but hidden underneath, offering its protection. Jane glanced at her friend from the corner of her eye, she seemed deep in thought. They turned into the medbay/cafeteria part of Wing C. Connor noticed them and smiled; he too had the chance to get normal clothes on, Jane felt even more vulnerable in her skin tight suit; no one seemed to take notice of it though.

"Captain Rizzoli, Pilot Konif, no doubt you came down here to get some food?"

"Oh, you know it Doc'," Konif said as her stomach gurgled in need. He quickly stepped away from them heading over to a compartment grabbing tubes that had vitamin paste in it; it tasted like dirt and beans. As Connor went to go get there food, Jane observed his team running around, preparing for the waking of over 2,000 people from Cryosleep. Connor walked back over to them and handed them there tubes.

"You know the drill, eat this for today and you can go back to solid food tomorrow." He offered them a smile and Konif returned it, Jane did not.

"Is your team ready?" She asked, standing there in her suit made her even more uncomfortable, the minded tear in the back of the Simitu suit all to visible; A reminder of her failure with dealing with The Flux. It was OK though to show off her broken suit when she was floating around starting everything up but now that everything was starting to work she desperately wanted to change into her Captains uniform so she felt ready to give her speech in front of her crewmates.

"Yes I think we are actually. Shall we start?" Connor sounded eager. Jane nodded her head already starting to turn away.

"Please do. I'm going to go get dressed, and when you feel them to be ready assemble everyone in the H.C.C as always and call me so I can address them." Connor and Konif saluted her as she left. She clutched the tube in her hand, her body aching slightly from being in Cryosleep to long. Jane made her way back down Wing C passing Konif's room and heading towards the elevator. She pressed the button labeled _Wing A, Floor 0._ She waited patiently as the elevator took her away.

"Huh…" Jane keeled over, grasping her side painting. Pain like she's never had before suddenly struck her, but just as quickly as it came it was gone. She quickly put the contents of the tube into her mouth, grimaced and swallowed, allowing it to fill up her stomach and hopefully hold off the pain. Jane stepped off on an un-light hallway. Floor lights turned on, making the shine of the walls reflect her. She walked down this hallway, passing her X.O.'s room, co-captain, guest apartments, and headed up a small flight of stairs at the end. She swiped on her Omnicuff and two doors slid open, reveling her bedroom. Jane sighed in content as she stepped in. At first there were so much un-needed things in this room, so she took it all out. Only leaving a small living room, two desks, a large bed, a full bath, her closet and a Kiplit wall, its surface rippling like water. Jane tossed the tube into a garbage shut that went down to the very depths of Hapsha and into a furnace. Her eyes were drawn to the windows that circled the bed on all sides, giving you the feeling of floating in space when you slept there. The perks of being Captain gave you a bedroom on the very top of Hapsha.

Jane walked over to her closet hidden into the wall; she swiped her hand across the wall. Lights came on with menus and different setting's allowing her to select what she wanted to wear without having to dig around for it. She selected her Captain's uniform, hoping she had time to come back and change into casual clothes when she's done addressing everyone. Her Omnicuff blinked as she was adjusting the cuff that went around her upper arm with the Orion constellation stitched into it with five horizontal lines on top of it, yet another reminder of her rank, if the many badges and awards upon her chest, shoulders, and neck weren't enough of a clue. Jane clicked on the button, allowing a Holoscreen of Konifs face to pop up. She seemed to be back in her chair red hair pulled up.

"Jane the Doc and his team are starting to wake everyone up right now, we should be ready for you within an hour or so hopefully." Jane clipped the last button on her neck, making her already tall menacing demeanor harder. Jane had to add more crew onto Hapsha for this mission, she had yet to meet them all and if you didn't already know Jane you would think her hard and un-responsible.

"Oh my, don't you look fancy." Konif winked at her, Jane broke out in a grin in front of the screen. There wasn't a doubt about it; Jane was one of the most decorated soldiers in all of the Orion fleet. She had advanced fast among the ranks, becoming the youngest captain to every be in charge of her own ship. They had offered Jane Admiral status after her heroics when she encountered The Flux on the Ares but she had declined saying she was happy where she was working alongside with the people of Hapsha, her ship.

"I try." Was all she said, slipping her long raven hair into a bun and putting on her cap. She never really did like wearing the cap it just made her look more like a man. Konif smiled and ended the call, leaving Jane to her privacy. Jane walked over to the Kiplit and placed her hand against it, electricity passed through her nerves. She pushed further into the wall until she had fully passed it. A control panel lay inside and she quickly punched in the code that she needed. The walls started to spin and the water like surface behind her hardened and casted her in darkness. She closed her eyes until a loving voice welcomed her.

"Janie?"

"Ma…" Jane smiled at her mother's image standing in their own Holoroom a larger version of Jane's Kiplit room. A tear slid down Angela's face as she finally laid eyes on her daughter after so long. "Oh Ma, come on. I'm OK, Hapsha seems to be working fine and we are just waking up the rest of the crew in order to get everything in order before arriving at our destination." Angela smiled at her daughter and then yelled for her husband, who quickly showed up in the screen.

"Janie… I'm glad to see you safe." He beamed at his daughter, always the proud one. They talked for a few more minutes about how everything was back on Earth; when a thought suddenly struck Jane.

"How is Frankie? Is there any news on where he was stationed?!" She was eager to hear about her younger brother. Angela frowned while Frank answered.

"He called us a few days ago. He has been stationed on the Luna Base." Jane stood there a little frozen. _How could Casey not have mentioned this?_ Angela seemed to know what Jane was thinking.

"He's under Admiral Forsyth, not Casey honey." Jane smiled and nodded, changing the subject. Thirty minutes later Jane stepped out of the Kiplit room, deciding to head back down to the H.C.C.

She fiddled with the edge of her sleeve as the elevator went down and shifted one of the badges on her chest. She stepped off of the Elevator to a hum of activity; there were around twenty people on the first floor, running around getting their bearings again. Men and women ran by her, some saluting others too busy to take notice that the Captain was on deck. Jane stepped over to the railing and looked out over the span of the whole H.C.C. Konif seemed to have her minions at work, while the third floor showed signs of people gathering and talking amongst themselves. There came a clicking sound from behind Jane, than her translator caught up.

"Captain Rizzoli." She turned around to face one of their aligned alien species crewmate, a Jungken. He was around her height and resembled a Human in build, if it wasn't for the bluish skin, pinchers on his face and the long spikes coming out of his crown. He bowed low to her a sign of friendship in the Jungken people, Jane returned the greeting.

"Officer Umlinth. I hope the Cryosleep didn't hinder you too much?" He stood there, pinchers moving slightly as his own translator caught up.

"Not at all, I feel your chambers worked well for my kin and me. I hope the other aligned species fared as well as I did." He clicked his pinchers together in thought.

"I do to." He said that he had to leave to attend to his duties and she said goodbye to him. Turning she walked over to her captain's panel and took a seat in her chair, checking to make sure everything was working. She had several notifications from the ship telling her that the crew was moving quickly to get Hapsha out of her five year slumber.

"Hard at work I see Captain." Jane looked up, her X.O. standing next to her.

"Commander Hailey Jacobs well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Hailey smiled at Jane's playful attitude. Jane updated Hailey on everything that she needed to know while everyone slowly made their way down to floor three of the H.C.C. Jane's Omnicuff blinked.

"Well, I think we got everyone down, here." Konif said. Someone hugged her and there were conversations all around her. Jane looked out over the floor and noticed the 2,000 or so crewmates gathered on the third floor, talking with each other. Jane clicked off the call and turned towards Hailey.

"Well. Shall we?" She nodded and stepped aside, allowing Jane to make her way down to the second floor so she could address everyone. She walked up to the side of the floor, leaning against the railing. She stood there looking out over the crowd, Commander Jacobs standing just behind her right shoulder. People started to notice Jane and stopped talking, shushing others around them. Soon the massive room grew quiet. Jane swiped her hand across her Omnicuff, connecting hers with everyone that was in the room so they could hear her. Everyone stood up at attention, saluting her. She motioned for them to sit down so she could get on with her speech.

"Many of you know why we are this far away from our solar system." Her voice rang out, rough and holding authority. "But a lot of you simply signed up wanting to leave Earth and look for a new start. NGC 7968 is where Hapsha is heading towards, a black hole." There were some murmurs of discomfort that rang out through the crowd. "We aren't going simply because we want to observe this phenomenon. Dr. Charles hired this ship from the Orion fleet for one reason. So he could observe our neighboring parallel Universe 201. He has promised me and our leaders that he has a way of opening a viewing portal safely to observe everything that has gone on in the 201 Earth." There was no reaction from the crowd this time, so Jane decided to move on.

"In a few days we will be docking with a Charkgin ship, adding more to our ranks." There came cheer, the Charkgin being a favored allay. When the crowd died down she went on. "And our polite Konif assures me that we will be reaching our destination within a few weeks. So, please make sure you get enough rest and plenty to eat. I want Hapsha in tip top shape before the Charkgin arrives." She saluted them and clicked off her Omnicuff.

"Never one for speeches huh Captain?" Jane smiled at her.

"Not really. And if you don't mind I'm going to go change before this collar chokes me to death."

* * *

**Don't worry the next chapter will be Universe 201...**

**To all the people who are still sticking with me Thank you.**

**Take Care. -FTP**


	4. Chapter 4

**Universe 201**

Sleep.

The feel of the blanket wrapped around her.

The strong bed that lay underneath her, supporting her.

The soft smell of lavender coming from the pillow next to her.

Maura stretched out her hand feeling the cool spot next to her forever a reminder that Jane will never come back home.

She didn't cry.

She was done with crying.

He eye lids drooped and she fell asleep again, needing the promise of seeing that wonderful smirk and dark eyes in her dreams.

* * *

_They laughed as both of them stumbled into Maura's home, drunk. Maura started to walk into the living room when Jane caught her arm._

_ "Maura Dorthea Isles, not following your own rules I'm shocked!" Jane slurred out, giggling a little. She bent down and slipped of her boots giving Maura a knowing look. Jane marched into the living room and flopped herself down onto the couch as her best friend took off her heels and made her way into the kitchen. _

_ "Do you think you can grow hamburgers? Like just grow them in a garden and they're ready to eat in a few weeks?" Jane's rough voice flittered into the kitchen as Maura was filling two glasses up with water. She focused on walking over to Jane, trying not to spill it. _

_ "No I don't think you can. You would need to have cattle, a garden, and a factory to make all of those toppings you put on them." Maura giggled, sitting next to Jane. She placed the waters down on the coffee table and leaned back into the couch, their shoulders touching. _

_ "Shhh Google mouth." Jane placed a long finger against Maura's lips. "Don't ruin my genius idea with your logic." Maura smiled around Jane's finger. She could smell the alcohol on her best friend's breath. They had decided to go out and have a few things to drink, to relax from a long week. A case involving a missing little girl and a dead mother; making Jane more on edge than she already was. When they found the killer, already succeeding in murdering the missing girl, both Frost and Korsak had to pull her off of the man; stopping her from beating him to death. Jane didn't stop after her second shot nor her fourth. Finally after her seventh shot and fifth beer Frost called them a cab._

_ "What are you thinking about?" Jane whispered at Maura who wasn't as drunk as Jane._

_ "Nothing really." She attempted to grab the glass of water but Jane's hand grabbed hers softly. She turned her hand into Jane's grasping it. She shifted so she was facing Jane, their faces impossible close. Her best friend moved closer resting their foreheads against each other, their noses touching; lips inches apart. Maura felt Jane's hot breath against her own parted lips. Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt Jane's lips brush against her own softly._

* * *

Maura opened her eyes weakly.

That was her third time having that dream, always ending on the same part. She rolled over and looked at the clock, 1:53 P.M. She knew she should eat something or at least drink some water but she was just so tired. It had been a day since Jane's death, the image of her lying in the hospital bed still all too fresh. Maura laid there for a few minutes trying to think of nothing, trying to feel nothing.

Fatigue pulled her under again, already having its claws deep in her flesh.

* * *

_"Maura!" Jane screamed from the bathroom, where she was taking a shower. "MAURA!" She opened the door wondering what could be making her girlfriend scream so loud._

_ "What Jane?" Jane was standing there clad in nothing but a white towel, making her olive skin stand out._

_ "There's a spider! It just crawled over there!" How on Earth a fierce Detective, which tackled gang bangers, had guns fired at her, having to be just as tough as the men she worked with could be so scared of a little creature that ate insects was lost on Maura. She grabbed some toilet paper and picked up the spider not wanting to hurt it. Jane was pressed against the wall trying to avoid them and Maura faked tripped brining the tissue closer to Jane._

_ "MAURA! Stop it!" Jane dashed out of the bathroom, Maura's high laughter following her as she disappear into the closet, trying to hid from the other woman. A few minutes went by as Jane tried to find something to wear on one of their few days off. Arms wrapped around her stomach and lips were pressed against her bare shoulder. Jane leaned into Maura's touch smiling._

_ "I'm sorry I scared you with the spider." The Kisses moved to her other shoulder now and Maura's hand traveled slowly down Jane's body. "Please let me make it up to you?" Maura whispered as her hand found Jane's core already wet from Maura's touch._

* * *

Again Maura woke up before the dream went further. She had only slept for two more hours. She laid there for a few minutes before closing her eyes again and grabbing Jane's pillow clutching it closer to her body, taking in Jane's unique scent.

* * *

_"I told you they would be OK with it." Jane said to Maura's back who was doing the dishes. The rest of the Rizzoli clan and their friends had gone home, leaving Maura and Jane alone in the blonde's house._

_ "I know. But I just didn't want to jump to conclusion Jane; I couldn't possible think how I would feel if one of them didn't accept us." Jane slipped her arms around Maura's midriff, stilling her movements._

_ "I wouldn't care if they didn't accept us. I would still be with you Maur. You make me happy." Maura turned in her arms and kissed her._

_ "Well you make me angry because you never pick up your socks." Jane's face broke out into a smile._

_ "Was that a joke Dr. Isles." Maura returned Jane's smile with one of her own._

_ "Only if it was funny." Jane kissed the tip of Maura's nose and whispered._

_ "Any joke you say will be funny to me Maur." The blonde melted in Jane's arms kissing the exposed skin that made up the Detectives neck. She brushed her lips against the woman's collarbones receiving a sigh of content. Maura felt Jane stiffen suddenly. She looked up and saw her girlfriends shocked face change into sudden horror. Maura panicked, thinking she had done something wrong._

_ "Jane? What's wrong?"_

_ "…Bass…" Was all she said._

_ "Bass?" Maura mumbled, confused. She looked down and saw her tortoise licking Jane's exposed ankle. A giggle started in Maura's chest that soon erupted into a full out laugh as she watched her pet's pink tongue flick out and lick Jane again. Jane shuddered and jumped away. Maura bent over laughing._

_ "You think that's funny do you?" Jane asked, she lunged at Maura trying to wipe her ankle on her girlfriend. But Maura darted away, Jane giving chase. They fell on the couch, Jane on top of Maura, laughing. _

_ "That means he likes you Jane." Maura said, catching her breath. Jane grumbled._

_ "Well, he could show it to me some other way than licking my leg." She shifted her leg, trying to wipe off her ankle on the couch when Maura gasped and clutch Jane's shoulders. She looked down at the smaller woman who had her eyes closed and her lips were slightly parted. Then Jane felt it. Her thigh was resting against Maura's core, putting pressure on it. Jane's eyes darkened and she moved her leg again, receiving a moan from Maura this time. She opened her eyes, dark green met darker brown._

* * *

Maura opened her eyes again, this time almost fully waking up. She hadn't dreamed about the first time they had made love in awhile, but it was still fresh in her mind. _I need to at least drink some water._ The logical side of her brain said to her. Maura sat up swinging her legs over the bed. She sat there, shoulders slouched, hair falling like a curtain around her face, trying to get enough energy to stand up. But she was just so tired. With the last of her energy Maura pushed herself up. She swayed, lights dancing in her eyes and her ears pounded with the sound of blood rushing through them. She calmed down after a few minutes and headed slowly down to the kitchen to get some water and maybe something to eat with she felt up to it.

The guest house was dark, Angela no doubt with the rest of the Rizzoli family, grieving. Maura stared down at the glass she was holding. She forced herself to down it. Water splashed around inside her stomach that had shrunken from the lack of food. She opened her fridge and was assaulted with left over's that Jane had cooked for them that week. She slammed the door shut, hearing the clink's of the things in the door hitting each other. A bowl of fruit sat out on her island, she opted for an apple. She took a bite and gagged at the food resting in her mouth. Swallowing that piece she threw the rest away, no longer entertained by the idea of eating. She stood in her kitchen feeling her stomach twist and turn against the bit of apple she had eaten. Suddenly the front door opened.

"Maur, I got more of that ice cream you wanted. And yes, before you even ask, I made sure they didn't put any pepperoni on your mushroom half." Jane stepped around the corner, her boots thudding against the floor with each determined step, and her shirt already un-tucked from a long at work. She set the food down on the island slipping off her blazer.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Jane asked finally noticing Maura's confused horrid look.

"You…. You're….I…" Jane smirked at her.

"Dead? Yeah I am. You know this is just your mind coping with the loss of a loved one. I'm simply a figment of your imagination Maura. But you're confused because you suppress the imagination section of your brain, pushing logic and facts at it. Here I am however, looking real as ever and I even brought pizza!" Jane flipped open the box and pulled out a piece, cheese stretching out from the chunk of food. Jane looped her finger around the cheese making it pile all on top of her slice before taking a bigger bite than needed. Maura stood there staring.

Jane noticed Maura staring at her, silent tears streaming down her face. "Maur, sweetey." Jane set down the food and took a step over towards the smaller woman who was crying harder now. She wrapped her arms around the blonde woman's shaking from. Maura's brain went into overdrive listing all the reasons she shouldn't be able to feel Jane's warmth, feel the tickle of her hair as it brushed against her cheek, the hands that sprawled across her back, or the fingers that threaded through her hair, offering her comfort. Worse of all, she shouldn't be able to smell Jane.

But she could. She gripped Jane, hugging her and sobbing louder at the feeling of Jane against her. Jane rocked her back and forth shushing her. After awhile Maura calmed down but was still clutching onto Jane.

"Jane. I never told you. I love you. I love you with all my heart." Jane's raspy voice chuckled.

"I already know that Maura. You should know that Jane loved you too. But… you know that I shouldn't be here. You know that you're losing control."

"No Jane, please. Please don't go…" Maura begged her.

"I have to." There was a small pressure on top of Maura's head as Jane pressed her lips to it and then the strong arms that were holding her up vanished too, making Maura fall to the cold floor of her kitchen. She curled up into a little ball crying harder; sobs choking her.

* * *

Thirty minutes passed by.

An hour.

Two.

* * *

Maura lay on the floor doing nothing, feeling nothing. Her eyes trailed along the floor and looking at the patterns the wood of the cabinet doors made, losing all sense of time. She didn't know how long she lay there, but she did know that the Maura Isles that was known while Jane Rizzoli was alive was no longer.

The Queen of the Dead had returned.

* * *

"Have you talked to Maura Frankie?" Frost asked the man that stood next to his sister's desk, still cluttered with her things. It had been three weeks since Jane was announced dead, the wound still raw.

"I went over to her house two weeks ago, to see how she was doing. But no one answered." Frost looked back to the computer that was sitting on his desk. Korsak was due to return to duty any day now, the bullet wound not that bad. Of course the whole BPD felt the lost of a great Detective but life had to move on. Everyone mourned in their own way; Detective Crowe even offered his condolences to the Rizzoli family, never doing that before. Jane's funeral was packed. Every life she had saved, every person she had talked to in the BPD showing up. Even though Jane was known for being a "bitch" and "hardass" Everyone had respected her, she was a "fine damn Detective" as many had put it. Maura was there, as cool and collected as ever. Only a handful knew that Jane and Maura were more than friends and they tried to talk to her, only receiving clipped answers and a hard face.

"I'm worried about her." Frost said looking back up at Frankie. "Whenever I see her she's… I don't know… she's just not Maura." Frankie nodded his head. Someone shouted and got Frost's attention.

"Frost you might want to head down to the morgue the new guy is getting his ass handed to him by Dr. Isles." Frost and Frankie exchanged a look before standing up and quickly heading towards the elevators. With Korsak out on medical leave and Jane forever absent; Cavanaugh had no choice but to hire a new homicide Detective. He went to Frankie first offering him his gold badge, but he quickly declined saying he never wanted to take his sisters spot, it would forever be hers. So he promoted Vice Detective, Jim Brooks to the spot, not receiving a warm welcome so soon after a death.

* * *

The elevator doors opened and Maura's cold voice could be heard through the morgue doors.

"…What if that wasn't semen, Detective?" Her voice was menacing to say the least. As Frankie and Frost pushed open the doors they say her face, stone, deadly. "Then you would be jumping to conclusions that could lead you in the wrong direction." Brook's voice answered, louder than Maura's; angry for receiving a lecture.

"But it is. Your tests came back positive! So why are you yelling at me for jumping to a right conclusion?" Maura narrowed her eyes.

"Just because it turned out to be semen doesn't mean that it couldn't have been something else. And if it was in fact something else you would be heading in the wrong direction."

"Look, I know your girlfriend just died and everything but you don't need to take your anger out on me. I'm just doing my job." Jim wasn't anticipating Maura's fist being thrown at his face. He stumbled backwards at her surprisingly strong blow. Frost and Frankie stepped in. Frankie dragging the Detective out of the room, giving him a piece of his own mind while Frost tried to comfort Maura, not really succeeding.

"Are you all right Maura?"

"I'm fine Detective Frost. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I just want to make sure that you're OK," he said back. He really was worried about her. She was always down here it seemed, working. Her techs and told him that they hardly saw her leave and when they did it was late at night only to be here in the morning before them.

"Thank you for your concern but it is ill placed. I can handle myself. I have the reports back on the woman that was murdered if you want those?" Maura asked. She always went straight back to business; never one to talk about how she was. There was no longer any mention of Bass or Jo Friday, or asking Frost how he was. Jane had taken that with her when she had passed away.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Back to business it seemed.

* * *

After Frost left Maura headed into her office; not even jumping when a voice spoke.

"Nice swing there Maur!" Jane was spinning herself in Maura's desk chair, staring up at the ceiling. Maura had lost track of how many times her mind had conjured up Jane over the past few weeks. She made sure the door was closed behind her and the blinds pulled down.

"Jane, get out of my chair." She pushed on Jane's shoulder playfully and the tall woman jumped up, dusting herself off.

"Well only if you insist." She started to fiddle with something on her bookshelf now.

"Why are you here today Jane?" Maura asked softly.

"I don't really know. You're the one that conjured me up, remember." Jane faded out before Maura's eyes and was gone leaving her alone in her decorated office. She sighed and started to get to work when there came a groan from the couch a few minutes later.

"Have I ever told you how uncomfortable your couch is?"

"Only every chance you get." Maura replied calmly. She knew that this hallucination would go away sooner rather than later. Maura tried to focus on her work, but someone massaging her shoulders distracted her. One of the hands lifted and was replaced with Jane's lips kissing her shoulder softly.

"You work to hard Maur." Maura sighed as Jane's kisses traveled up her neck. Then they stopped all together. Maura opened her eyes and looked around, she was alone; again. She couldn't help as a tear slid down her face, Jane's smell lingering in her office.

* * *

**Welp, thank you everyone again for... everything.**

**Take Care. -FTP**

**P.S. oh yeah and I would just like to address a few questions that have been coming up.**

**Universe 378 is so different from ours. The history of it is different to (I'll explain that later) But there is no "Maura" In 378. Just like there is no Tommy because of population laws back on Earth. Cavanaugh doesn't exist either or Frost. There's a lot of things that are different. So when you read Universe 378 there is going to be a lot of original characters, plot themes, and ideas.  
**

**So keep that in mind.**

**Alright.**

**Stay cool.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Just a heads up. This chapter deals with the Charkgin. So there's a lot of new thins being thrown at you. Oh also! The history of Universe 378 is WAY different than 201 and it's discussed a little bit in this chapter, so keep an open mind. Read on!**

* * *

**Universe 378**

A week passed with nothing really happening. Hapsha was waking from her slumber without hassle and Jane was making herself known to the new crew mates; some more friendly than others. The only interesting thing that happened was a call from Shafter. After talking to it for a good solid hour it finally told her why it was calling.

_"We have arrived earlier than expected to our meeting point Jane, our mission to Ujent going smoother than we had anticipated." Jane frowned._

"_Konif says we are a few more days out from getting there. However…" Jane turned on her Omnicuff, looking at a galactic map. "Well we are a day away from your solar system Shafter." It hummed in thought._

"_I would have to speak with my superior. But I think we can arrange to meet on my home world, Shni, instead of the vast emptiness of space." Jane snorted at the Charkgin. She watched as the background behind Shafter's face moved as it walked down a hallway. The interaction of it and its superior fascinating her like always. Jane didn't understand what they were talking about, the Charkgin using body language and facial expressions to talk instead of using its voice to speak. Shafter turned towards Jane, two eyes closed the third open; pleased._

"_They say that that will work out." Its voice hummed back at her, now speaking in Human tongue. _

Jane had called Konif and told her there was a changed in plans. They are heading towards the Charkgin star system; to say Konif was excited would be an understatement. She rolled her shoulders as she walked down Wing D just coming from the ships gardens when she heard something coming from the very end of the hallway, where the starboard observation deck was. As she got closer she realized it was music and not just any type of music, but it sounded old, classical.

She slowly turned in the open door way. Book's where piled up all along the floor, the chairs, tables and there where bookshelves pushed against the walls that didn't have windows on them. Jane hesitantly walked in, the music much louder now. The air was cool and had a musky odor to it, as if all these books were just pulled out of storage. She took another step in, looking at all the different volumes that sat everywhere. Jane had seen books before but never this many in one place. They were hard to come by back on Earth, printing them had been banned in the 2100's. You had to go to settled worlds in order to obtain one. Jane always made sure to pick one up for her mother whenever she traveled.

"Captain Rizzoli!" said a high pitched voice from behind her. She spun around, Omnicuff raised. The top of it slid open and a sonic pistol extended out of it, making an _eeee_ sound as it charged ready to fire on Jane's muscle command. But she had it pointed at nothing until someone cleared their throat and Jane looked down. There stood a little man, no taller than 5'3''. His head was bolding and his face showed the lines of old age. He had an odd piece of metal on his face, resting on his hooked nose, light glinted off of it and as Jane looked closer she notice pieces of glass sat in them. She quickly lowered her cuff, taking a step back, trying to seem less threatening.

"Hello. I don't think we've had the chance to meet." The music switched tunes into something slower, Jane's ear's picked up the sound of a piano. Her mother had forced her to learn the ancient instrument when she was younger, so proud that her Janie could play such a huge thing.

"Ah, no, no, no, I don't think we have. I am Professor Alex Palmer." His voice had an English accent to it. She raised her eyebrows as the man did an awkward little bow at her.

"Uh… Nice to meet you Professor Palmer," she said as he stretched out to his full height again, looking up at her. He smiled at her, his teeth yellowed with age, eyes squinting with his cheeks pressing against them. He stepped around her, dumping books onto a chair, saying, "I truly hope you don't mind that I take over this room. There simply isn't enough floor space in my bedroom to permit all of my things to rest there."

"No, that's OK. No one comes down here anyways, it being Wing D and all…." She trailed off, her finger fiddling with a spine of a purple book.

"Ah, yes I've noticed that there is nothing really down here. Save the gardens and a few rooms." He smiled at her again, pleased with his observation.

"It's more of a storage Wing anyways." She looked out the window, resting her hands behind her back, standing at attention. "Professor, what are you doing aboard the Hapsha? "Jane deadpanned.

"I do suppose you have the right to ask that, being the Captain and all." Jane stared blankly at him; he shrugged at her, pushing the object on his face up. "Dr. Charles hired me, hoping my expertise in history would help him in fully understanding our neighboring parallel Universe 201."

"And why is he so fascinated with this particular Universe?" The man picked up a hefty volume and climbed up a stepping stool, placing it on a shelf.

"He says it's because it's the only one that's closest to our own; the only one that has successful human life on Earth."

Jane turned her gaze away from him and looked at the towering bookshelves. She felt the Professors eyes on her as she peered at the rows upon rows of different spines. A dark green spine with gold lettering on it caught her eye.

"May I?" Her hand already reaching out to grab it.

"Of course of course!" Professor Palmer shouted, thrilled that someone was taking interest in some of his books. She pulled at the book and then gave it another tug when it came out rather reluctantly. She stared at the cover, only understanding some of the words that were on it.

"Professor, what is this called? I can only make out some of the words that are on it…" He came bustling over and grabbed the book. He narrowed his eyes and moved the novel back and forth trying to get his eyes to focus on it.

"Ahhh, no wonder you can't. It's in one of the first forms of the language we speak today, ancient Deutsch." Jane raised her eyebrows and looked down at the cover in his small hands. "_The rise of the great Nazi party_; is what it's called. A rather fascinating book if I do say so myself; it gives one a whole new understanding as to how Germany won World War II."

"You mean to tell me that this book was written in the late 1900's?!" She gapped at the little man.

"Bravo Captain! You seem to know your history. And no I don't think this was writing in the 1900's, hold on a minute would you." He opened the book and flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "Ah yes, it was written in 2035 by a Mr. Arnulf Schmidt." He smiled up at Jane who was still gaping. "Captain, are you alright?"

"Yes I am. It's just… How did you come by something so… so old?" Professor Palmer let out a wheezy laugh and handed the book back to her.

"My dear, when you grow as old as I am, old things tend to find you." She looked down at it and carefully put it back on the shelf, not wanting to damage it. He looked at her and rubbed the scruff on his chin. "If I may Captain…" He trailed off and scurried across the room, stepping onto a ladder this time. He climbed all the way to the top and stretched his arm out, grasping at a smaller paper back. When he was back on the floor he handed it to her.

"_The Great Gatsby?" _she asked out loud.

"A lovely story about the American dream." Jane knitted her eyebrows together in confusion the name barely stirring something in her memory. "I do suppose America is now called "The United Nations of The West." Stupid name if I do say so." Jane chuckled at the man's bluntness. "This book was written in 1925-" Jane quickly put it back into his hands.

"That thing is 500 years old!" She protested. He laughed out loud at Jane's stunned face.

"My dear! You mistook me. If this was the original version it would be in English and neither one of use could read it! It was re-written in 2379." He placed it back into her hands. "I think you would enjoy it Captain. That is if you're a reader."

"I am actually. But I barley get to read anything on paper." He smiled at her.

"Well, just make sure you don't read it next to any open flames. That would be very troublesome indeed." He laughed at his own joke, pushing at the object on his face again. Jane's curiosity peeked.

"Professor, what are you wearing on your face?"

"They are called glasses. They stopped making them a few hundred years back; lens implants all the new thing. But I'm not very fond of the idea of someone cutting my eye open with a heat laser and then placing a metal piece into it, all the while I am awake." Jane shuddered at the memory of undergoing the same thing having to in order to become a Captain. Just then Jane's Omnicuff blinked, Professor Palmer walked away busing himself with moving books about.

"Konif, what's up?"

"We're just outside the Charkgin's star system." Jane could hear the excitement in her voice.

"How far out are we?" She glanced over her shoulder at Alex roaming around.

"We should be there in twenty minutes or so… Jane?" She turned her attention back to the Holoscreen.

"Yeah?"

"Where the hell are you?" Konif could see the books and hear music playing in the background.

"I'll tell you about it later. I'll be up in a bit." She quickly turned off the transmission before Konif could get another word in. She fiddled with the book in her hand.

"I'll get this back to you when I'm done? I should have some down time coming up…" Jane noticed that her guard had come down while talking to this strange man.

"Yes! And if you'd like I can pick out another one for you to read when you're done with that?" Jane started to walk backwards, needing to make her way up to the H.C.C.

"Yeah, sure, I'll see you later then Professor Palmer?"

"I'm sure you will Captain." He smiled at her as she disappeared out into the hallway.

* * *

Jane walked into her room and set the book down on her desk. They had moved everything out of her locker and brought it up here a few days ago so she took off her clothes, leaving her clad only in her glitchy Simitu Suit. She walked over to her closet, typing in the code for her armor. Grunting she locked in her chest plate with her back plate, having a little trouble with the latch because she was alone. She swiped her Omnicuff, turning on the Holoscreen that controlled her armor. Clicking a few buttons she held her arms out and widened her step. Her chest and back plate expanded covering her whole body in black metal that had a shine to it. The metal stopped expanding at her elbows and neck, but the metal roamed over her boots until it got to her ankles locking into place.

She grabbed her gloves and pulled them on, her right one shorter than her left, her Omnicuff in the way. She placed the fabric next to her cuff and fiddled with some buttons. Both ends of the cuff extended metal until it locked into place with her glove and chest plate extension. She grabbed her helmet making sure everything was in place. The air on Shni was toxic to humans, not to mention the heat from there star. Tucking her helmet under her arm Jane called a fellow officer, that she knew she could trust, asking him to join her onto Shni; she also called Officer Umlinth who jumped at the chance to visit the Charkgin home world.

* * *

Jane's boots thudded as she stepped off of the elevator and onto a very active H.C.C., everyone running around trying to get everything in order for the Charkgin's when they arrive. People saluted her as she walked by, her X.O. walked in step with her.

"Captain Rizzoli, are you planning on exiting Hapsha and going on the Charkgin home world?" Jane glanced at her.

"Yes Commander Jacobs. Why are you asking me?" Jane stopped, turning to face the Commander. Jacobs dark eyes were cold, revealing nothing.

"Oh well, I just wanted to know if you were or not." Jane took a step forward narrowing her eyes.

"I do not need to run things by you Jacobs, this is my ship not yours. Is that clear?" Jacobs schooled her features and stood at attention, saluting Jane.

"Yes Ma'am. Sorry Ma'am." Jane looked at her for a second longer before dismissing her.

"Remind me why I promoted Jacobs." Jane asked as she walked up to Konif's chair. She swirled around to face her best friend as Jane sat down on the edge of one of the panels setting her helmet next to her.

"If I remember correctly you said something like, 'Damn, she has a nice ass.'" Jane punched Konif in the arm.

"I did not." Konif raised her eyebrows letting out an "Mmmhmm." As she turned her attention back to the Holoscreen's moving Hapsha easily through the outer asteroid belt that surrounded the Charkgin solar system.

"Hey, do you have a hair tie? I forgot to put my hair up." Konif snapped one off her wrist and handed it to Jane. As she put her hair up she watched the large windows that sat at the front of the H.C.C. Tiny planetoids flew past the ship, leaving large gas giants to loom on the horizon.

"Damn!" Konif said as the large super giant's light flashed into the H.C.C. nearly blinding everyone. Jane heard the slam as the window cover's locked into place followed by a beeping as the Holoscreen's came up where the window's used to be, showing everything now without the stars light shining through.

"We really need to talk to the Charkgin about fixing that blasted star of theirs. I forget how bright it is every time we come here," Konif grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah tell me about it. I hope the tint on my helmets glass can handle that. It didn't last time."

"I think it will. That's what I did to mine last time I was here." Just then Umlinth and Zaq Carlson walked up, dressed similar as she was; Umlinth's armor different than hers to match his body and Carlson's a red instead of black. Jane smiled at them, her most trusted Officers.

"There it is." The red head's voice drew her attention back to the front of the H.C.C. there coming into view was a large blue planet. Earth looked like a golf ball if placed next to it. Konif's hands skillfully went over the Holoscreen's that covered her desk, shutting off Hapsha's back thrusters and turned on the forward ones, slowing the massive ship down until it came to a complete stop. They floated around Shni, ships zipping by them and larger ones floated around their planet. One of Konif's Holoscreen's flashed and she opened the transmission. As soon as they realized that it was Humans they were talking to they wrote to them instead of talking.

_Human vessel, Hapsha._ Konif was quick with a reply.

_Hapsha, Captain Jane Rizzoli, Human Orion Fleet, wave 3, asking permission to land on Shni to allow aligned Charkgin to join Hapsha's mission._

_Pending….. Permission granted. Safe descent._

_Thank you, Hapsha out._

As soon as they got the green light Jane turned to go saying,

"I'll let you know when we are coming back up Konif." The red woman jumped out of her chair and faced Jane saluting her. Jane returned the gesture before extending her arms, Konif hugged Jane quickly.

"Stay safe." They both new that traveling into a planets atmosphere was always sketchy even if they thought they could handle it, anything could go wrong.

"See you in a bit." Jane nodded her head at Umlinth and Carlson for them to follow her. As they stepped onto the elevator she heard Andi say,

"_Captain_ _Rizzoli exiting Hapsha, X.O. Commander Jacobs has the deck_." The door's closed and Jane heard Carlson and Umlinth putting on there helmet's. Slipping her ponytail in first Jane did the same. Making sure the clips where locked in, making her suit air tight. There came a small blast of cool air against her face as her oxygen tank turned on. Lights clicked on the glass, showing her her supply of air, shield energy and a small black box in the top right corner, if in the middle of a transmission, would provide her with the face of the person that she was talking to. There came a crackle in her ear, followed by a deep voice.

"Officer Zaq Carlson, Unit A1, C. Rizzoli." Followed by Umlinth's strange voice.

"Officer Shvanistlar Umlinth, Unit A1, C. Rizzoli." Jane's raspy voice finally joined them.

"Captain Jane Rizzoli, leader of Unit A1, ship Hapsha." Andi's voice spoke back to them.

"_Logged; Officer Carlson, Officer Umlinth, Captain Rizzoli, Unit A1, Hapsha_."

The elevator doors opened, showing them to the docking bay. Fighter's sat around, followed by searchers and then fighting transporters. Jane walked towards the smaller F.T.'s; Carlson and Umlinth flanking her. All three had sonic rifles attached to their backs, magnets holding them into place. Weapons weren't needed on this trip to the home world of a peaceful race, but they never wanted to take a chance. They strapped themselves in as the ship took off, heading out the open bay doors and down to Shni.

* * *

They were rocked back and forth as they entered the atmosphere of the planet. After a few minutes they stilled and Jane unblocked herself, walking into the cockpit looking out the front window, watching their descent. Water stretched out almost as far as the eye could see, but off in the distance showed green; the promise of land. Jane connected with Shafter's cuff, it picked up right away. It's face appearing in the top right screen in her helmet.

"_Jane, I hope this call means that you are on your way?" _

"We just reached the surface; heading towards your military base right now." Shafter hummed, closing its third eye and allowing the other two to fill up with blue; happy.

"_I am looking forward to seeing my dearest friends again after such a long time."_ Jane smiled at Shafter talking with it for a few more minutes as they got closer.

* * *

Jane made sure to turn up the tint on her visor not wanting to return to Hapsha with her face sun burnt, _again_. They stepped off of the F.T., Jane quickly turned up the coolness of her Simitu suit, sweating instantly in the intense heat. She heard Carlson and Umlinth do the same thing. Her boots crunched against the rocky ground, she wobbled a bit, not anticipating the sudden pull of a heavy gravity. She took a few steps, allowing her legs to get used to the pull. She waved at Carlson and Umlinth to follow her. They walked over to a stone path, as ships flew over head, making the trees off in the distance wave back and forth with the backlash of air behind them. Jane swirled her head around taking in the view. Ocean off to her left and high mountains to her right, the sky a dark blue, darker than Earths and the sun impossible bright. Something shiny ran across the path in front of them and she watched it scurry off to the forest. They walked up to a building the doors opening for them. As they stepped in they were greeted with an enthusiastic rather small Charkgin.

"Captain Rizzoli be you?" Jane didn't respond for a second, schooling her face at this Charkgin's broken speech.

"Yes. We are expected." Her voice sounded odd coming out of the speaker that was in her helmet.

"Hapsha. Yes. Follow?" It turned walking away without an answer Jane, Carlson and Umlinth following. They passed sculptors of things, _What the fuck is that?_ Jane thought. The roof of the room was impossible tall, allowing the seven foot Charkgin's to walk with ease. Their escort grabbed Jane's hand and shook it vigorously, holding a door open with its other. The room was large over a hundred Charkgin stood there talking among themselves. There came a loud shout followed by Jane being hugged. She could hear Shafter's hum rubble out of it, very happy to see its friend again.

"Jane!"

"You've been hanging out with Konif to much Shafter." Jane joked as she hugged it back just as fiercely. Shafter stepped back, still humming although now she could call it a purring for how loud it was. She looked up at it, turning down the tint in her visor so Shafter could see her face. Its own face reflecting happiness; third eye closed, the other two solid blue.

"Indeed I have, although I am not sorry for showing such signs of affection towards you. After all it is acceptable in the human coulter to hug a friend after such a long period." Jane laughed out loud, missing Shafter's odd ways. A lighter green Charkgin walked up and Shafter step aside, allowing the other Charkgin to talk to Jane through it.

"Jane this is what you would call our Admiral, it has yet to obtain a human name. I will translate."

"Thank you Shafter. It's nice to meet you Admiral." Jane barley noticed the movement in Shafter and the Admiral.

"The pleasure is all mine Captain Rizzoli. Shafter speaks very highly of you, and I would like to thank you for allowing the Charkgin passage on your ship Hapsha."

"Don't even think about it Admiral, I am looking forward to working alongside the Charkgin again. It has been way to long." _Going on twenty years._ Jane thought. She looked over at Shafter and smiled, its purr grew louder again still happy.

"Captain as I understand it you are to be expected at…." Shafter trailed off not knowing the human word, all three of its eyes closed; confusion, un-sure.

"Black hole or NGC 7968." Jane shot it helping Shafter out.

"…expected at NGC 7968 in a few weeks?"

"Yes, our Pilot plans to have us there by then. The Charkgin want to study the black hole right? Seeing how it's so close to your system?"

"We have been making visits to it for a few hundred years now; making sure it's staying well away. But we hopped on the chance to work alongside our fellow friends with observing this black hole as you call it. Also the thought of viewing a parallel Universe peeks the interest of our scientist."

"Thank you. I can tell you that my crew is very excited to work along the Charkgin again." They continued to talk, getting everything cleared away. Near the end of their conversation the Admiral excused itself to address the waiting Charkgin, wishing them luck and allowing them to start boarding their transporters and start their journey to Hapsha. Jane made sure to call the docking bay telling them to anticipate the sudden arrival of a few ships. She also sent a quick message to Konif as promised. The admiral turned back towards Jane. She was stunned when it stuck out its hand. Shafter quickly shot in.

"I told it the custom sign of Human thank you, goodbyes, and greetings." Jane let out a soft 'Oh' Before gripping the Admiral's webbed hand and shaking it. It bowed low and left her standing there with Shafter.

"Jane there is something I wish to tell you." Blue filled up all three eyes and it squinted two of them; Honor and honesty.

"What's up?"

"Gaining a Human name has become sort of a rite of passage with my people." Jane grinned.

"You're shitting me?"

"No I am not 'shitting' you." Slight squint in all three eyes; humor. "After coming back to my home world I reveled to them that your people had given me a name, unable to pronounce my true one. Let's just say that word got around fast. My people are truly fascinated with yours. You know that we have the ability to speak but choose not to, that is until the Humans came into our lives. It's a nice change." Jane looked over her shoulder; Carlson had a huge grin on his face while Umlinth threw in.

"The same goes with my people Captain. Although you can pronounce our name, my people will look at me with great respect for working alongside Humans." Jane laughed out loud, thinking of all the _Human_ jackass's she has dealt with in her life.

"Well we will make sure to give all of the Charkgin that are aboard this mission a human name." Shafter closed two eyes leaving the third open; pleased. "Come on Shafter. I know Konif is dying to see you again."

"And I her. But Jane, I already have my things aboard my own transporter. I will see you in a little bit?"

* * *

"SHAFTER!" Someone yelled from across the first floor of the H.C.C. Jane and Shafter had come up the elevator to great Konif; the rest of the Charkgin just arriving on the docking bay. Jane had ordered Carlson and Umlinth to stay behind, helping out their new crewmates, both were eager to obey. Jane jumped out of the way as a flash of red darted passed her, slamming into the alien. It wasn't anticipating Konif and they both fell to the ground, Jane could hear Shafter's purring growing louder again, having yet to stop all together.

"Olga. It is great to see you again." People on the first floor glanced at the two bodies on the ground, Jane cracking up.

"Kloonichtshvetinealort?" Konif asked quickly. The holes in Shafter's neck vibrated with what Jane could call the closest thing to laughter from the alien. Two of its eyes closed leaving the third open; pleased.

"You are getting better Olga." Jane helped her two friends up saying.

"Come on you two, let's go up to my quarters, we have a lot of catching up to do." Shafter threw its long arms around Jane and Konif's shoulder's, hugging them close to itself, humming.

"Yes we do. I can't wait until I tell you about my mate." Both Jane and Konif yelled,

"WHAT?!" Shafter squinted all three of its eyes; humor.

"I'm kidding! I'm only 400, still a child in the Charkgin people." Jane scowled and Konif burst out laughing as they got onto the elevator.

"_Only 400 hundred it says."_

* * *

**Sorry it took me so long to update, I havn't been feeling up to snuff as of late. It takes a lot to write this story because I have to think up a lot of things and make sure I don't miss anything.**

**Ahh, the joys of describing something that doesn't exist. . I hope that I'm doing it justice though.**

**So... I really like Shafter. Not gunna lie. Please tell me what you think of it? I really want to make it a main character next to Jane and Konif.**

**Also,**

**Are you guys liking 378? Because this story can go both ways really. So the true question is,**

**201 or 378?!**

**Next update should be soon. Thanks to all that read and review it's nice checking my email and there's like ten new notifications and they are all review's, it really makes my day.**

**ENOUGH BLABBER.**

**Take care. -FTP**


	6. Chapter 6

**Universe 201**

"Jane…. Go away." Jane froze, in the middle of throwing something in the air and catching it, sprawled out over the couch that was in her office.

"Oh, now you don't want me here," Jane retaliated. "Fine. I'll go." She faded out before Maura's eyes, her face the last thing to leave, starring at the spot that the lanky detective had just occupied. She rubbed her eyes sighing heavily; the fatigue after Jane's death only leaving her reluctantly. She looked down at her swelling hand. _I need to get ice on that._ On impulse Maura went home early instead of staying in late, a first since the event that changed her life for the worse.

* * *

**Four days after Jane's death:**

_Maura tied up her running shoes and slipped out the door; needing to stretch her aching muscles. _

"_Hey, wait up!" Someone shouted from behind her as she started to run through the park she always ran in. Her step faltered as Jane jogged up to her panting. She passed Maura looking back at her._

"_You alright? Not out of shape are we?" She laughed at her own joke running circles around Maura's frozen form. "Come on Maur! I want to get a jog in." Maura wearily glanced at the people passing her before skipping back to a run again. She avoided looking at Jane, her eyes focused ahead of her. "What you're not talking to me now?" Maura looked at her, silent. "Fine if you're not talking then I'm not talking." _

_This was the first time Jane had come to her after her visit in the kitchen. Maura couldn't help herself as her eyes moved over to the dead woman next to her. Black curly hair bounced from the ponytail, arms swung low at her sides, calves jiggling slightly as each foot striked the ground. Jane noticed her and let out a huff,_

"_Maura, you're staring." She averted her gaze, dodging a person walking in front of her just barely. Jane let out a hoot of laughter, pushing her shoulder. "Close one!" _

"_Jane, go away." Maura said in a hushed whisper when no one was around them._

"_I thought you weren't talking to me." Jane smirked._

"_I'm not talking to you because you don't exist."_

"_Ouch! Maur that hurt." Jane clutched her heart feigning hurt. "How could you say such a thing?" Maura didn't answer she just kept on running. "You know…," Jane rasped out getting closer to her. "I always did like you without any make up on." Maura stopped dead in her tracks bending over, gasping. She felt like she couldn't breathe, the pain was stabbing her chest. The memory of Jane saying the same thing to her after the first time Jane had spent the night stabbed through her mind. Tear's leaked out of her eyes against her will. She felt a gentle hand lay on her back._

"_Don't touch me!" she yelled pulling away. The person she had almost collided into gave her a worried glance, holding their hands up in surrender. _

"_I just wanted to see if you were ok, you looked like you were having trouble breathing." Maura wiped at the tears furiously. She disregarded the path and bolted across the grass, cutting faster to her house. She felt the eyes of the stranger following as she sprinted back home._

* * *

**Present time:**

Maura unlocked the door to her house, her nose picking up on the smell of cooking. She hesitated in the entrance way, the door still open. She spotted Angela in the kitchen cutting up something, narrowing her eyes Maura let the door close behind her, her presence now known to the older woman.

"Maura," Angela said with a soft smile. Dark circles were under her eyes, hair only partly brushed, more lines sat on her face, her grief still strong. Maura stepped into the living room, laying her bag and coat on the couch before turning towards Jane's mother.

"Angela, how nice it is to see you." Formal, to formal; Maura cleared her throat. "What can I do for you?" Angela's eyes scanned Maura, her shoulders back; head held high the only thing out of place was the swollen knuckles on her right hand.

"I just thought a home cooked meal would do both of us good." Angela smiled, dumping something into the pot that sat on top of the stove. Maura considered kicking her out, but quickly pushed that thought away.

"Here, let me help you." Maura stepped closer into the kitchen but Angela gave her a stern glare.

"No, you sit down. Cooking helps me…" The older woman shook her head, trying to forget what she was going to say. "Sit down and I'll get you some ice for your hand." Maura slowly sat down not really knowing what to say. A few minutes later Angela was tenderly laying a bag of ice across Maura's swollen knuckles.

"What happened honey?"

* * *

**A week before Jane's death:**

"_Maura!" Jane yelled as she walked into her girlfriend's house. "We finally caught that ba- oh my gosh! Maura, are you OK?!" Jane rushed to the blonde woman who was on the ground holding her hand, bits of broken glass everywhere. Jane kneeled down next to her. Maura hissed as she uncovered her hand and blood slowly oozed out of a cut there. "What happened honey?"_

"_I was going to put those flowers you got me into a vase, I forgot to yesterday because I was in bed all day. I accidently dropped it. And well…" Maura had been out for a whole week now, a cold attacking her. A dust pan with bits of glass was sitting next to them, along with a red chunk, the culprit that had cut her. Jane helped Maura stand up, careful to not step in any of it. After Jane had picked everything up she found Maura in the bath room, putting a Band-Aid on the wound. _

"_It's not as bad as it looked." Maura said as Jane wrapped her arms around her waist, planting a kiss on her head._

"_Good."_

* * *

**Present time:**

"I hit the new detective." Angela's eyebrows shot up and she let out a laugh, picturing a put together sophisticated Maura Isles punching someone.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, stirring the food in the pot.

"He said, 'Just because your girlfriend just died doesn't mean you have to take your anger out on me.'" Angela almost dropped the spoon she was holding. She spun to face Maura.

"_He said that?!_" The blondes face was impossible cold, not showing any emotion. "Yes Angela." Angela's hand went to her throat, starting to choke up. Maura noticed this.

"Please, Angela, don't cry." She slid her hand across the counter top, grasping onto the older Rizzoli. Angela took a few deep breaths before turning back to the food. They ate in silence mostly, Maura saying how good the food ways and Angela asking how work was, staying on safe topics. Around nine, after cleaning up, Angela said that she was going to bed and wished Maura a good night. The blonde sighed deeply as she heard the back door close. She climbed the stairs, her feet heavy.

Stepping under the bright light from her bathroom, Maura slowly started to take her make-up off. With each swipe of the cleaning cloth, the Queen of the Dead left, leaving behind the Maura Isles she used to be.

The Maura Isles that Jane knew.

She pulled her hair out of its ponytail, letting it fall around her face. Without the make-up on Maura looked tired; her face slack and pale, not holding the usual red in her cheeks, her eyes dull. After brushing her teeth she slipped into her pajamas and climbed under the blanket. Clutching her pillow, she looked out over Jane's side of the bed, untouched. Sitting on the bed side table on the Detective side was the book she was in the middle off. Maura could make out the tattered book mark Jane had always used, an old photo of them taken a month after they had met. Jane would never admit it to anyone but she always had a book going, reading at least for five minutes before falling asleep. She had told Maura once that a book helped her coupe with all the horrible people that were in the world.

* * *

**A day before Jane's death:**

"_Really Maur! You have to read this, it's so fucking good!" Maura poked her head outside of the closet saying a stern,_

"_Language Jane."_

"_See! It's just that good; it's makes me forget all of your rules!" Jane gave Maura a smirk as she kept her eyes glued to the page, twirling a dark curl in her fingers. Maura walked out, running a hand through her hair._

"_What's it about?" Then she caught a look at the cover. "Jane you're reading that again?" The detective glanced at her as she pulled the blanket down, throwing one of the spare pillows onto the ground, a habit she picked up from Jane._

"_Yes, you have a problem with that?"_

"_No I don't. But why can't you read something else?"_

"_I will, but only when you have read this." Jane kissed Maura on the lips as she tucked herself in._

* * *

**Present time:**

The book was old, the cover and pages tanned with age. Maura couldn't count how many times Jane had read it. She sat up and looked at it again. Quickly she leaned over and grabbed it, trying not to disturb Jane's side of the bed.

_Beaches by Iris Rainer Dart, _was barley eligible on the worn cover. Maura brought the book to her nose smelling it. She could smell the book but there, underneath the smell of musk was Jane. Maura opened it to the spot Jane was in and pulled out the photo.

* * *

**Nine years and four days before Jane's death:**

_Maura looked down at herself, smoothing her hands over her skirt, making sure she looked presentable. With a deep breath she pushed open the bar door and walked into the Dirty Robber. People were everywhere, talking, drinking, and laughing among themselves. A banner spanned across the top of the bar read: Happy Birthday Frankie! Maura scanned the room, an arm waving caught her attention._

"_Maura! Over here!" Detective Jane Rizzoli yelled over the roar of the crowd. She was sitting in a booth, a red head walking away from it. She made her way through the crowd, taking a seat opposite of Jane who smiled at her; offering the other beer that was on the table._

"_I'm glad you could make it, I hate going to party's by myself." Maura politely refused the beer._

"_I'm glad you invited me. It get's rather lonely down in the morgue." Maura deadpanned. Jane laughed sipping her beer._

"_What's your poison then if you don't drink beer?" Jane swung her long legs out standing up. Maura told her and watched the lanky brunette strut to the bar, dominating the room with her presence. Was it just a month ago she had met Jane dressed in a hideous leather skirt and fir jacket? She watched Jane as she slapped a young looking man on the back smiling at his shy grin. After a few minutes Jane came back setting the wine glass in front of her. Maura said a soft 'Thank you.' Jane merely smiled at her._

"_How is the BPD welcoming their newest Medical Examiner?" _

"_Everyone is very nice to me." Jane raised an eyebrow._

"_You're hiding something." Maura gapped at her._

"_No I am not! I can't lie." Jane nearly spit out her beer._

"_What do you mean you can't lie?!" She laughed at Maura's serious face._

"_I have a neurocardiogenic syncope episode and get chronic urticaria, if I do." Jane stared at her, beer half raised, a silence stretched out between them._

"…_..What?" she asked, finally breaking it._

"_I faint and get hives." A low chuckle escaped Jane's lips that then turned into a full laugh. She was cracking up, taking a gulp of her beer. The noise of the room seemed to fade out the only sound was Jane's laughter. It wasn't mocking, it was…playful, relaxed even. Maura shrugged her shoulders smiling._

"_So what you're telling me is," she leaned in, Maura mirroring her. "You never told a guy he was good when he wasn't?" Before Maura could answer there came a flash of light off to their right and an angry,_

"_MA!" echoed throughout the room._

* * *

**Present time:**

Maura looked at the picture. Jane leaning in close, hand's out smirk on her face, Maura leaning in to hear her, hand on her wine glass eyebrow raised. She flipped it over and Angela's scrawl stared back at her.

_August 23__rd__, 2002, The Dirty Robber. Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles._

Maura quickly turned the photo back over. Turning her attention back to the book, she slipped the picture back into the dog eared page. She tapped her finger on the cover for a few seconds thinking. Quickly she opened to the first page and started reading.

An hour in, she threw the book across the room letting out a scream of anger. She grabbed her pillow, sobbing into it. Jane had written a note on the page,

_I knew you would read it. _

Maura yelled again, her sobs shaking her whole body. The blankets were tangled in her legs and her pillow was getting soaked with her tears. Maura gasped for breath as another half hearted yell escaped her throat.

* * *

Five minutes.

* * *

Ten.

* * *

Twenty minutes went by.

* * *

Maura stopped wiping her face long ago, knowing it wouldn't work to stop the tears. She sat up sniffling, water falling off her chin and onto her lap. Maura saw the book lying on the floor; it was flipped to where the spine was broken from use, the picture of them falling out.

Slowly Maura got out and grabbed it, flipping to the page she was on; Jane's neat handwriting filled the edge of the page. She brushed her fingers over it wondering when Jane had written it, knowing Maura all too well, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the blonde would pick up the novel and read it. Maura sank to the floor, book grasped into her hand.

* * *

At four in the morning Maura finished the book; her tears hindering her from reading any faster. She let the novel fall to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest she wrapper her arms around them, resting her forehead there. Jane was right that was an amazing book, but the notes she had written along the pages, showing her thoughts towards specific things made it that much better. The book was a part of Jane's soul; it brought Maura that much closer to the love of her life.

That's when she finally spotted it. The corner of a white box peaked out from underneath the bed. She grabbed it and gave it a tug, not recognizing the simple thing. Hesitantly she flipped the lid off revealing what was in it. Letters she had written Jane so many years ago.

* * *

**Six years and twenty-seven days before Jane's death:**

"_Are you sure you don't want me to come Maur?" Jane asked lingering next to the taxi cab Maura was about to get into._

"_No Jane… This… This is something I need to take care of." Jane hugged her best friend again._

"_I'm going to miss you." Maura hugged Jane back as the taxi driver slammed the trunk closed._

"_I'll miss you too Jane. But I'll write." The brunette knitted her eyebrows together. "There's no cell phone service where my father lived."_

"_Oh… Right. Well, I would say call me when you land but…" Maura smiled._

"_I'll call you before I leave America. I promise." Jane had watched Maura's taxi speed off, taking the blonde to organize her father's funeral. Maura was true to her word and called Jane before she left._

_The Detective was sitting at her desk when the mail boy had dropped an envelope nest to her arm. She ripped it open and read it right there and then when she realized it was from Maura. She wrote her a reply instantly. Maura was gone for three months. Her Father's illness kept him from doing things he needed to get done, his estate in a bigger mess than she had anticipated. But no matter what she was doing she would sit down and write Jane back as she got the letter from her._

* * *

**Present time:**

Maura rifled through them all, Jane had kept each one. She couldn't help it, she read each one, reminding herself of a past time when things seemed to be so much easier, yes losing her Father was hard; but it couldn't prepare her for what she felt like now. She leaned against the bed and starred down at the white box, curling up on herself. Somewhere off in the far distance Maura heard the beeping of her alarm clock, telling her it was time to get up and put on her mask again.

* * *

**I high recommend the book and movie _Beaches. _They are very good. **

**Thank you everyone who read's and to everyone who read's and reviews. and to everyone who simply glances and then goes back to what they are doing.**

**I truly hope you guys liked this chapter.**

**Please take care! - FTP**


	7. Chapter 7

**Universe 378**

They walked down the quiet hallway towards Jane's quarters, laughing. Shafter and Konif shared a knowing look as Jane opened her Omnicuff's Holoscreen making sure the Charkgin were getting settled.

"Still always working?" Shafter asked Konif. All three eyes closed; questioning. Then reopened them slightly squinting them; humor. Konif nodded cracking a smile. The doors opened to Jane's apartment and Konif dived onto the couch that was sunken into the floor, barley missing the table that sat in the middle. Shafter joined Jane in the small kitchen grabbing glasses as Jane grabbed a bottle of clear liquid.

"Ah, I see you still have the Charkgin Devonu wine that I gave to you on your strange holiday, Christmas." It closed two of its eyes leaving the third open; pleased.

"Yeah I did. I wanted to save it until we were able to see each other again." Jane smiled over at the tall alien. Shafter noticed Jane was still in her armor, making her movements a little awkward.

"Jane, please, allow me to, you need to change out of your armor." Jane nodded at Shafter going down the three steps until she was in her open bedroom. She looked over her shoulder spotting Konif sprawled out, a book in her hand, confusion on her face.

"Jane, where did you get this? And how come you never told me you were a reader. That would have made your birthday gifts so much easier." Jane laughed, removing her gloves. Sounds of glass clinking together came from the kitchen.

"I'm not, well not really. I was going to talk to you about that actually." Jane stretched out her arms and legs as the metal started to retract into her breast and back plate. "I met this strange little man. His name is Professor Palmer-" Shafter stepped down the steps; interrupting her.

"A Professor on Hapsha? What does he study?" Jane let out a grunt, trying to unclasp the plates. After handing the glasses over to Konif it pushed Jane's hands out of the way helping her.

"He says he study's ancient Human History. Dr. Charles brought him aboard to help him study Uni 201." She let out a sigh as the plates finally came off allowing her to breathe a little easier. Shafter hummed in thought.

"Shouldn't he have ran that by you first Jane?" She set the armor down next to her helmet; waiting for the closet to align to the right section.

"Not really. I mean, it would have been nice for a head's up. But Admiral Jones told him to bring anyone he needed along with him."

Turning her eyes landed on Konif in the middle of taking a bite of some food Shafter had also brought out, her hand filled with chips, her cheek bulging with food. Konif froze and then slowly started to chew again, her eyes wide. The humming coming from Shafter got louder as he spotted Konif's face, it was happy to be back among its friends again. Rather suddenly Jane cried out and fell to the floor gasping. Konif forgot about the food and dashed over.

"JANE!" Jane grabbed her chest, her heart thudding; she felt like it was going to explode.

"I'm alright. I'm alright." She sat up slowly, Konif and Shafter's arms helping her up. "My…My suit just shocked me." Shafter's eyes quickly changed. All three filled up with blue, half closed; confusion and worry.

"Jane, is your Simitu suit still causing you trouble?" Jane nodded solemnly. When Humans first made contact with the Charkgin, the Charkgin offered their creation as a welcoming gift, the Simitu suit. Shafter gently pulled on Jane's shoulder so it could look at the fixed tears that were on the back of her suit where it had come in contact with the Flux's tongues. Most of them seemed like a perfect fix to Shafter's skilled eyes. But two of them looked like they were torn open again, breaking the link of the Simitu suit, causing it to glitch and not fully link with its wearer.

"Jane," it hummed, "It seems you have re-opened the tears in the back of your suit."

"Shafter, please tell me you can fix it." Humans could only accept one Simitu suit, for some odd reason their bodies wouldn't accept another one and if they tried they would go into massive seizures.

"I think I can," squint in two of its eyes, the third closing; honesty. "We have some engineers aboard. Hopefully they can assist me in fixing it." Jane sighed, finally standing up. Her Simitu suit quickly changed colors, making her blend in.

"Right, I might as well change out of this thing before it kills me. I'll be out in a second." Shafter and Konif nodded their heads and headed over to the sunken in couch, settling in. Jane grabbed some of her casual clothes and headed towards her bathroom.

* * *

Jane ran her hand over the front of the suit, the hidden zipper following the path of her hand, coming undone. Goosebumps rose on Jane's skin as the cold air assaulted it. She let the light material fall to the floor. She stood there naked in front of the full length mirror. Her skin had lost the redness that it was when she was first defrosted. She roughly pushed her hair out of her face; reveling the small scar that sat on her eyebrow. She wished she could grow her hair out longer; it sat just a little past her shoulders, long enough to put in a ponytail and that's it. She cupped a tiny breast; they seemed to have gotten smaller from being in Cryosleep for solong. There where soft white lines that marked her body in places, others where more circles than anything; old scars from missions. She fingered a small crescent shaped one, right next to her belly button. That one had been from Frankie; he had tackled her when they were playing Qwolf. She sighed and bent down, grabbing the pants.

* * *

Jane stepped out at Konif laughing and Shafter humming in its odd laugh. She threw the suit onto the bed and sat down next to them grabbing the cup and taking a deep gulp from it. Before Jane had fully known Shafter she had questioned how it ate and drank without a mouth. To say she was shocked when she saw Shafter open its hidden mouth for the first time would be an understatement. Shafter had explained that it was rude to show one's mouth in its culture. The aliens didn't have any lips and the line that would show that they had a mouth was so thin that you couldn't see it. One minute the aliens face was smooth except for its eyes, the next a section opened up to revile two rows of sharp teeth and a tongue. Whenever the Charkgin would swallow the holes in its neck would slap close before opening up again allowing it to breathe.

Jane finished up her story about her encounter with Professor Palmer. Shafter hung on her every word, sipping on the Devonu saying that it would have to visit this Professor and speak with him. The three friends were stiff with each other at first, staying on safe topics. But as the hours wore on, Shafter became more and more relaxed falling into Human habits again, like eating in front of them and telling jokes, not staying so formal. Konif got a little tipsy and laughed loudly while Jane stayed quit most of the time. She watched the playful banter between Konif and Shafter, now on the topic of marriage.

"Dude! You have to get a mate soon! I want to meet them!" Konif said taking a bite into some food Jane had grabbed from the kitchen. Shafter shifted.

"Oh my gosh, are you showing awkwardness right now?" Jane asked, laughing along with Konif.

"Yes, I am Jane." It hummed. Two eyes closed the third open; pleased that its friend understands its body movements more. "Konif, you know not to call me 'dude' for I am neither male nor female. Well in the sense of the Human anatomy." Konif and Jane scrunched up their faces saying a joint 'Yuck.' The holes in the alien's neck vibrated with its silent laughter. "I'm too young to find a mate Konif; but what about you and Jane? Getting rather old, you two are." Slight squint in its eyes; humor.

"Hey don't look at me! I fly a ship across the Milky Way for a living; it's kinda hard to get laid, but Janie over here!" She poked Jane in the side. Shafter leaned forward eager to hear about what Konif was talking about.

"Admiral Jones." Jane mumbled embarrassed that the attention was turned towards her. Konif paled, suddenly remembering that-

"Casey?!" Shafter's eyes pooled with black as its pupils expanded; hurt. All three friends remembered Casey's first interaction with Shafter. It hadn't been very pleasant for the alien and it was before all three of them had become friends. Jane had always felt guilty for getting with Casey knowing that he wasn't warm towards the Charkgin

"Before I left on this stupid mission," Jane grumbled.

"This is not a stupid mission and you know it Jane," Konif scoffed. Shafter leaned back into the couch, opening its thin mouth taking a sip of its drink. Although Casey had apologized to the alien for making a rude commit towards its people. Shafter was still uncomfortable when this topic was brought up.

"Shafter," Jane said softly, ignoring Konif. Dark eyes turned on her. "It just happened. We didn't plan for it to." Shafter blinked twice, its eyes going back to their normal blue; forgotten.

"It's alright Jane. I know these things happen." They grew silent. Jane looking down at the table, rubbing her hand across it, fidgeting. A large three finger hand covered hers. "Jane, it's alright. But just so you know; if he ever hurts you..." The alien trailed off closing its two eyes leaving its third open, its pupil filling it; protective.

"Thank you Shafter." It took them a little longer to get away from the awkwardness of that conversation. At around one in the morning Shafter said it needed to head down to its quarters to unpack and get some rest, Konif joined it. She said her goodbye, Shafter's arm around her shoulder helping her walk, Jane's Simitu suit resting in its other hand, it hummed a goodbye as well when they stepped into the elevator.

Jane let the doors slid close behind her as she rubbed her face, her fatigue finally catching up to her. She quickly dressed into her PJ's and collapsed onto her bed, staring out into the Charkgin's solar system. They stayed in orbit around Shni, the massive planet with its never ending oceans. They would be leaving in a few hours, continuing towards their destination. Jane sighed closing her eyes forgetting all about the book Professor Palmer and loaned her.

* * *

People were cheering from the upper floors of the H.C.C. Humans standing among Charkgin's, Jungken's, and Oper's. They all were yelling placing bets on the two figures below them running. Jane could see the finish line just ahead, two engineers holding it and a group of people whistling; egging her on. Shafter ran besides her, its long leg's pumping itself forward. Jane leaned forward trying to out run her friend. She knew Shafter was going to win; it was ahead of her by a few inches. She quickly coiled her legs underneath herself and pushed off, diving over the finish line. The H.C.C. broke out into loud yells and cheers. Jane lay on the ground panting, Shafter bent over breathing heavily. The room grew quite waiting to hear Andi's call.

"I believe the Charkgin won," the robotic voice said. The hall erupted in cheers and groans. Shafter helped Jane up, both sweating heavily.

"Better luck next time Captain." It hummed slapping her on the back.

* * *

"Check," Jane rasped turning her attention back to the book she held in her hand. She had finally picked up _The Great Gatsby _last night, only a week after it was given to her, and had yet to put it down; the old story sucking her in. Konif rubbed her chin staring down at the board. Shafter was stretched out on the couch fiddling with a silver sphere. They had stopped asking Shafter what it was, the alien not telling them.

"How do you do that? Be able to read and kick my ass in chess?" Jane looked over at the frustrated red head.

"I have a beautiful mind." Konif knocked over her king and crumbled to the floor, mumbling a,

"I give up on life."

* * *

Jane walked into the starboard observation deck; the books where in much better organization then they had been two weeks ago.

"Professor Palmer?" Jane said, hesitating at the entranceway. There came a shout around a pile of large volumes, Alex Palmer stepped out, seeming to be smaller than ever.

"Captain Rizzoli!" Jane smiled and held the novel up as an excuse for her presence. "Ah! You've finished it then have you? As well, come tell me how you found it." The man bustled over to one of the couches that sat next to the window, patting the space next to him. Jane sat down, handing the book over.

"It was good. For something that's so old," she glanced at him. "It was good."

"Now deary, you have to give me more than that." Jane chuckled at him. She looked out the massive window. Whips of blue passed the glass, showing just how fast they were going, she saw the soft white sheen of the ships shield and off in the far distance a light twinkled with the possibility of life. They sat in silence, Palmer not pressing Jane as she mulled over the story. He stared out the window with her, soaking up the company of each other's presence.

After five minutes of silence Jane finally spoke. She told him everything. Each thought that passed through her mind, her guesses that she had at the time and she spoke often of how confused she was by a certain characters actions or backgrounds. Palmer sat there nodding his head and encouraging her to go on when she grew silent again, but he never interrupted her. After talking for thirty minutes straight Jane finally finished with,

"….And that 'Old sport' thing; what does that even mean?" Palmer let out a wheezy laugh.

"Ah yes, how our language used to be so different. I do believe 'old sport' was just a phrase they used, a sort of nick name if you will." Jane let out a soft 'Oh' and went back to being quiet.

"You don't talk very often do you?" Palmer asked softly.

"What do you mean? I just talked for thirty minutes straight." She shifted in her seat.

"Only because I pressed you dear." He quickly stood up, making Jane jump, and walked away. She watched him go to a large bookshelf, as he craned his neck, trying to see the top shelf. The way he jumped a little when he saw what he was looking for made her smile. He climbed on top a pile of books, carefully balancing grabbing a hefty volume. She stretched her arms out as he dropped the book on her.

"I will not tell you what this is about, but read it and come back." Jane glanced down at the title, _One Year Crazy by Josh Lathing. _"But I will tell you it was written in 2002, this however is not the original copy. Just read it and come back." Jane ran her hand over the dark purple cover. She opened her Holoscreen and read it.

"Professor Palmer?"

"Yes Captain?"

"Do you mind if I read it here? I don't have anything to do right now and I….Well… I mean…" Palmer gave Jane a soft smile, pushing the glasses high up on his noise.

"Only if you don't mind me running around." He chuckled at his own joke, knowing all too well he couldn't run at his age. Jane sat there for two hours completely absorbed into the book's story.

It was about a man named Craig who had acted like he was mentally insane just so he could go inside a insane asylum and observe the true 'Challenged People' has he put it. He just met this woman named Hilary who didn't speak when a green light blinked on her cuff, Konif's face popped up.

"uh… Captain…. We sort of…" Jane raised her eyebrows at Konif's formal tone. "We sort of have a problem." There came shouts in the background and a grunt followed by another yell. "Were in the cafeteria. Just come quick I think you're the only one that can break this up." Konif turned her Omnicuff to show a very angry Officer Umlinth swinging its fist at Zaq Carlson. Jane slammed the book closed and set it on the couch dashing out of the room yelling,

"I have to go Professor, I'll be back." The elevator didn't seem to go fast enough. She stepped off onto Wing C bolting down the hallway. She froze when she stepped into the Cafeteria. The handful of people yelling,

"Surprise!" A red banner spanned out it read, _Happy Birthday Capt' Rizzoli. _Konif threw her arms around Jane's shoulders smiling at her shocked face.

"Oh come on Jane, you think we would forget." Jane shook her head.

"No, but I forgot." This received a chuckle from the crowed. She saw a small pile of wrapped gifts sitting on a table next to a cake. Jane was only truly friends with Shafter and Konif but people she knew well where there also. They told her when she got back to Earth she didn't have to count this birthday, laughing at their own jokes about Cryosleep. After people wished her happy birthday everyone mingled, music played in the background and drinks where handed out. Jane stayed close to Konif's side.

"Jane, Happy Birthday." Shafter walked over, a very rare moment when it pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks Shaf." Jane rubbed the back of her neck, calming her nerves. At one point Zaq and Umlinth walked up, grinning, she glared at them as they laughed.

"Boy, Captain you should have seen your face in that Holoscreen." Zaq laughed as Umlinth bowed low to her.

"Happy birthday Captain Rizzoli." It clicked at her. She returned the gesture saying a fast thanks. A bunch of people personally gave her gifts; others simply wished her a good day. After a while people had to leave to go back to work, so soon it was just Shafter, Konif and her again.

"Alright, whose idea was this?" Jane asked, crossing her arms. Shafter hummed in glee.

"It was I actually, not Konif this time." Jane gapped.

"I remember not too long ago you did the same thing for me and how it scared me so bad." Konif and Jane burst out laughing remembering the shocked looking alien. Konif's Omnicuff blinked, one of her minions summoning her back to the H.C.C.

"Ugh… well I have to go, but don't open my gift until I'm there!" Konif said, hurrying off. Shafter helped Jane take the gifts back up to her chambers.

Jane let her pile fall onto the table without grace, while Shafter was softer about it. A small movement caught the corner of Jane's eye. Shafter was being awkward, when she looked at its face, all three of its eyes where half closed, worry and it was being unsure.

"Shafter, are you OK?" Jane asked confused at her friend's sudden change in attitude.

"Yes…" It hummed softly. "Jane I was able to fix your Simitu suit. You will find it in the box that is marked from me…but…" Jane's stomach dropped, worried something had happened.

"But?" She prompted. Shafter finally slipped something out of its pocket; it was the silver sphere it had been playing with for so long.

"This is my true gift to you. I well… I remember…. I…" It huffed taking a few steps away from Jane until it was standing in the middle of the living room. It bent over placing the sphere on the ground. She leaned over watching it fiddle with something; suddenly there was a blinding white light. Jane threw up her hands to cover her eyes. She stood like that, afraid to open her eyes until she felt Shafter's smooth hands tug at her own away from her face.

"It's alright Jane, you can look." Jane slowly opened her eyes, her mouth falling open. She turned looking around herself. She wasn't standing in her apartment anymore; she was standing in a forest, a large meadow to be more specific. She could hear the creaks of the massive trees move as wind passed her face bringing the smell of damp Earth with it. Tall grass tugged at her legs, there where small purple flowers dotting the wild grass. She felt the soft dirt move underneath her weight and when she looked up at the sky, it was a vibrant red with wisps of orange, copying a sunset. The wind blew again and she closed her eyes, bird's tweeted off in the high branches and she could hear the flow of a river somewhere.

"A long time ago you said you loved visiting Shni and spending time in the forests there and you talked none stop about how different they were from the forests that you had learned about in school. That was the most I had ever heard you talk in one sitting without someone else saying anything. These past two weeks I have been meeting with Professor Palmer and he has helped me build this. I wanted…. I wanted to give you something that would make you feel at home." Shafter said softly. Jane finally opened her eyes looking up at her friend, tears falling silently down her face. Shafter's face changed, all three of its eyes half closed; worry.

"Oh…Jane you're crying. You don't like it." Shafter quickly grabbed the sphere turning it off. They where thrusted back into Jane's dark apartment. Jane wiped at her face.

"No, Shafter, no." She said forcefully as her friend started to leave. "I love it." Shafter closed all three of its eyes; unsure.

"But you were doing that thing Human's do when they are sad." Jane laughed, sniffling as the last of her tears fell.

"Shafter, I was crying because I was happy." Shafter cocked its head, using a Human expression. "Humans, we, we cry when we are sad we also cry when we are happy."

"Your race is very confusing." Shafter deadpanned. Jane threw her arms around Shafter's waist pulling it into a hug. After she pulled away she looked into its eyes.

"You… you have no idea what this means to me. I don't even understand how you made that but… this is the best gift I have ever gotten Shafter, truly. I don't even know how to thank you." Shafter's hums turned deeper into a purr, expressing pure happiness. It held up the sphere placing it in Jane's hand. It was lighter then she would have thought, but it fit perfectly there. One side was flat, allowing it to stay still where ever you placed it.

"Here is where you turn it on and off." Shafter grabbed the top part of the sphere and pulled it up, turning it. Jane anticipated the light this time, laughing out loud as she opened her eyes again. She breathed in deeply, truly happy for the first time since she saw Shafter again. Shafter hummed as Jane placed the sphere on the ground and grabbed its hand holding onto it tightly.

"It acts as a clock. So whenever you open it the sky and your surrounding areas will reveal what it would look like at that time. I took the liberty on studying what your night sky looked like and put as many stars as your people have catalogued. Night time is my favorite part I have to admit." The brunette simply sighed, pushing her hand through the tall grass, feeling it tug at her skin. Jane heard the door to her apartment open and Konif's voice.

"Jane….What are you and Shafter doing standing in the middle of your living room….and….why is there blue lines everywhere?" Jane couldn't see Konif, but waved her over moving so there would be room for the small red haired woman. Konif's form appeared inside the bubble of a forest, distorting it for a second before it went back to its mirage.

"Oh…," was all she said. Jane let go of Shafter's hand and lay down in the tall grass. Clouds hung in the darkening sky, soon Konif and Shafter joined her pointing out images from the clouds that weren't really there. After awhile they shut it off and Shafter showed her that it needed to be charged and she could only use it for up to six hours. That was absolutely fine by her. Jane was thrusted a red box by Konif who had a huge grin on her face.

"It's no silver sphere but…" Jane just as eagerly ripped off the paper.

"Oh… oh my gosh." It was a brand new chess set. Jane had mentioned that she felt a little bad for using Konif's set, her last memento of her father, and how she wanted her own. As she pulled the set out of the box Konif started to talk quickly.

"It's really awesome. It's made out of glass; I know how you hate the interface sets. But the best part is we can play from anywhere. If you're on a mission or something you can move the pieces through your Omnicuff and I'll have the board and can play you back, it's awesome." Jane chuckled as she set the pieces in place.

"You know we can just put it on our Omnicuff's and not deal with a board at all." Konif scolded at her.

"I'm kidding. Now we can play more often up here more often. Thank you Konif, really." Konif and Shafter stayed for a little long. Jane was thrilled to learn that the Charkgin's where able to fully fix her suit, getting rid of the possibility of the tears re-reaping ever again. Konif yawned and said she was going to head out.

"Oh, I'll come with you guys, I wanted to talk to Professor Palmer." Jane said goodbye as they stepped off onto Wing C and she headed farther down to D.

Jane stepped inside the room looking around for the Professor.

"Up here Captain!" He called from a top of a bookshelf. He slid down the ladder before landing in front of her. "Not too bad for an older gentleman eh?"

"You knew," was all Jane said, taking a seat on the observation couch again.

"I don't know whatever you mean." But the Professor was smiling at her.

"Where you able to see the finished result?" A misted look fell upon Palmer's face.

"Indeed I was." She turned her attention to the window, the book she was reading weighing heavy in her lap.

"I do suppose a gift is in order." Before Jane could tell him 'No that's OK, really.' He handed her a small package. Fiddling with it she finally got the paper off of it. She pulled out a long rectangular piece of plastic, with a gold string tied to the top of it. Symbols laid on the length of it.

"It's a bookmark," Palmer said. "It belonged to my daughter before she passed away." The brunette snapped her head up.

"I can-" He cut her off.

"Yes you can and you will. You remind me so much of her really. She was reluctant to start reading also, saying it was all pish posh and just a waste of time." Jane looked down at the bookmark again, slipping the string through her fingers. Jane tested her luck by asking,

"What happened to her?" Palmer took so long to answer Jane thought he wasn't going to.

"She died while she was in child birth. Odd isn't it. We've come so far into the future and things like that still happen?"

"I'm sorry Professor." Palmer smiled at her.

"There's no need to be. It was her time, just like it will be mine soon and I can see her and my grandson." He paused looking about out the window. "The symbols are Chinese, they mean 'I don't like books, I like the stories they tell.' I thought it was rather fitting."

"Thank you for the bookmark and for helping Shafter with its gift." Palmer pushed his glasses up smiling at her.

"No trouble at all and I was more than willing to help Captain." The brunette paused before saying,

"Jane. Please, call me Jane."

* * *

**How do you organize a space party?**

**You planet!**

***snort***

**So, I've been wanting to say this:**

**Shafter's voice sounds like when you talk through a fan and it goes up and down in pitch. That's the best way I can describe it really.**

**Also, Professor Palmer talks like the Blue Raja from Mystery Men, but looks like Artie from Warehouse 13, but older, much much older.**

**Ok, So as always thank you to the people who read and to the people who read and review. If you have any questions I will answer them for you.**

**Take care. - FTP**


	8. Chapter 8

********SUICIDE TRIGGER*********

* * *

**Universe 201**

Maura snapped her eyes open, chills running all over her body; the nightmare slowly fading from her mind's eye. As always, it had been a dream about Jane's death, as always it kept her from getting a good night's rest. She had stopped crying as often as she did, only now was she numb. She had finally changed the sheets last night, allowing one sob to be let out and the presence of Jane finally leaving her bed.

Maura knew she shouldn't have put the book in her purse. But she couldn't help it. The novel brought her closer to the woman she once knew. All of the little notes that Jane had written in it, the torn pages, the pages with the corner folded down countless number of times, brought her comfort. She was sitting in her office working on her report of the death of a sixteen year old boy when she stopped. No one was in her office but that's what made her stop. Jane wasn't here.

Jane was always here when she worked.

Slowly she turned her attention back on the report. She could hear her techies laughing in the room opposite from the morgue, the hum of the freezer as it kicked back on, cooling down the decaying bodies, the elevator dinging as it opened its doors to welcome passengers. Maura rested her head in her hands sighing, trying to stop the oncoming headache. She could feel it starting to pulse at the base of her skull, demanding attention. The doctor opened a drawer on her desk and took some ibuprofen, hoping it would stop the pain in her head. Putting her loopy signature at the bottom of the page Maura flipped the folder closed, resting her hand on top of it thinking.

She stood up making her way to the bullpen. Maura has avoided going there, the presence of Jane to fresh. She ran her hand through her hair, trying to calm her nerves. With a ding the elevator doors opened to Detective Crowe laughing with Detective Brooks, who was sporting a bruise on his check where Maura had hit him. They quickly sobered when they saw who it was.

"Detectives." She said politely, stepping off of the lift. She felt their eye's on her back as she walked down the hallway, growing more and more confident with each step. The door was propped open showing Frost rubbing his face, tie undone, wrinkled shirt.

"Detective Frost." He looked over at the blonde woman stepping towards him, shocked.

"Maura, what are you doing up here?" She forced herself not to look at Jane's desk, but out of the corner of her eye she saw it covered in cards, flowers, notes and letters alike.

"I've just come up to drop off my finished report on our John Doe." A gruff voice said behind her,

"Hey, Doc. Good to see you." Maura turned.

"Detective Korsak, it's nice to see that your bullet wound wasn't that threatening and that you're OK." She forced a smile on her face, trying to appear more pleasant towards the older man. But inside, she was screaming at him. She was blaming him for everything. A quick vision of her grabbing Frost's gun and firing it into Korsak's chest flickered past her mind's eye. Maura swallowed surprised at the violent thought.

"Yeah, it was nothing really." The man looked absolutely haggard. His graying hair was a lighter color now, his face showing more lines then it did before. Frost's voice made her turn her attention back to the man.

"No cause of death?" Maura frowned. She could have sworn she wrote the cause of death down. She leaned over Frost's shoulder so she could read the report. Only half of it was done.

"Oh…. It seems I was too eager to come up here that I didn't finish the report. I'm sorry about that." Frost smiled, handing it back to her.

"It's alright Dr. Isles. It's been a hectic week." She returned his smile with a fake one of her own.

"However, I can tell you the cause of death. A stab wound to the chest, causing cardiac arrest." Someone huffed behind her.

"Yeah, like we said." Detective Brooks stood there, smirk on his face. "But I'm glad you can confirm it Doc." Maura narrowed her eyes at him, opening her mouth to retaliate when Frost spoke up.

"Watch it Brooks." The Detective shrugged walking over to his lonely desk in the corner, no one willing to give him Jane's. Maura said her goodbyes going back down to her office. Today was going to be a long day.

"We got a fresh one for you Dr. Isles." Maura held open the plastic flaps as the men wheeled in a gurney with a black body bag on top of it.

"Appears to be a thirty-ish Caucasian woman; EMT's tried to revive her in a lobby of a hotel but were unable."

"Name?" Maura asked while she was signing the necessary paperwork.

"Jane Doe," Maura flinched at the name but they didn't seem to notice. "She didn't have any ID on her." She said a soft 'Thank you' and they unzipped the bag and moved the woman while Maura went to go change into her scrubs. After finishing up the report on the John Doe Maura had nothing else to work on, her long nights allowing her to catch up with any paperwork she needed to get done. She stepped back into a silent room, the woman laying on a table, the men leaving her to her work.

As Maura put on gloves she looked her over. Her lips were pale but her cheeks still held a faint red, showing that at one point she was alive. Black hair sprawled out around her head, her clothes lying awkwardly on a forever unmoving chest. Maura managed to get the woman's clothes off, putting them in bags. A dirty hoodie, a band shirt, and scuffed up jeans. The only piece of jewelry she was wearing was a locket. The little door swung open as she was putting it in the bag, reveling a small photo of a little girl, a daughter perhaps. Maura clicked it close, grabbing a sheet covering the now naked woman from her waist down.

Maura had her back to the woman, rearranging her tools, getting everything ready to tell what the cause of death was. There came a gurgle behind her, followed by a groan. The woman coughed behind her and the sound of someone parting their lips, breathing in a raspy breath, attacked her ears. She stood there frozen.

_Dead people weren't supposed to make any noise._

Slowly Maura turned around, the woman had turned her head away from Maura, and she was gasping for breath. But wait; did she always have that small circle scare on her stomach? The small lined scar on her neck across her artery?

_Or how about the ones across her hands?_

"M…Maur…" The woman finally turned her head; suddenly flesh was being burned away. Lifted up and disappeared into the air, leaving behind puffs of smoke with it. The burns spread across the woman's body, tearing through skin, muscle, then attempting to burn through the white of her bone. Her organs burst through the thin, webbed like skin spilling out to one side.

Maura started to breathe heavily as her eyes traveled upwards, the invisible fire leaving nothing un-touched in its path. The black hair that laid on her shoulders and all around her head started to smoke and Maura could smell the hair burning, watched helplessly as it diapered, and leaving behind ash.

She could see the muscles in Jane Doe's neck move and strain against the burn. Jane Doe opened her mouth, the left side of her face completely gone. A hole in her cheek should lines of well kept teeth, her ear melted against her scalp before disappearing all together, and the left eye lolled around, bubbling in its socket. But the right one locked onto her eyes, the eye lashes curling up against the heat.

"What's wrong Maura?" Jane's voice asked. Maura's stomach dropped, noticing now how she was no longer looking at the dead body of the Jane Doe but at the dead body of Jane Rizzoli. Maura's eyes swept back over the body, stepping back, making her instruments clatter to the ground, useless.

"Maura?" Jane sat up, her small intestine tangling with her arm; she looked down and pulled them out without a second thought. Her eye spilled out of its socket, pooling inside her mouth through the hold in her jaw, she swallowed asking again with a half burnt away tongue, "What's wrong?" Maura turned, grabbing her mouth, running towards the sink, throwing up the meager lunch she had. Just then Frost walked in, spotting Maura throwing up.

"Maura, are you OK?" He shot a cautious eye towards the bare woman. If she made Maura throw up, Frost didn't want to be in the room, still queasy around dead bodies. Maura leaned against the sink, wiping her mouth off; still not looking at Frost.

"I'm… I'm better. What can I help you with Detective Frost?"

"Oh… I just wanted to let you know that we found out who our John Doe was and we caught the killer." Maura hesitantly turned towards him, not yet looking at the woman.

"Good, I'm glad Detective." He stood there looking at her, making sure she was truly alright.

"Oh well then… I'm going to head out, it's pretty late."

"Drive safe." Was all Maura said, watching him leave the room, throwing her a glance over his shoulder, before disappearing around the corner. Maura closed her eyes taking deep breaths, her hand resting against her stomach, trying to calm it down.

For the first time in her life, Maura Isles rushed. She rushed through that autopsy. She avoided looking at her face, looking at her hair. The cause of death was a piece of candy lodged in her wind pipe, suffocating her. Quickly Maura tagged the woman and pushed her into the freezer.

As soon as the freezer door slammed shut, Maura felt a thousand times better. Slowly she turned around, snapping her gloves off and throwing them away. She tugged her hair out of her pony tail. She wasn't paying attention as she walked into her office and she tripped over something.

* * *

She fell forward, but kept falling. Blackness enveloped her, coldness wrapping around her skin. Finally her body slammed into the ground, but instead of the rug she had thrown over the ground in her office, she landed hard against cool, dirty, concrete.

Maura gasped, the wind knocked out of her. The air seemed thick and she could smell things burning. Rolling over onto her back she had just enough time to roll out of the way of a falling beam. It landed next to her with a thud, shaking the whole ground. The doctor stood up, her black scrubs covered with white ash. Heat radiated off of the charred beams that littered the ground. Small fires danced around, giving the room an eerie lighting. Maura had no idea where she was, yet this place seemed familiar. Someone groaned off to her left.

Korsak lay there, grasping his leg, shoving wood off of him, coughing. Then slowly all noises faded out; the sound of Korsak shuffling around, the creak of the building, the growls from the fires. In slow motion Frost ran through a black window frame, looking around himself spotting Korsak. Maura watched as Korsak waved him off, telling him something, pointed at something. It clicked. Maura bolted, getting to Jane before Barry did. She was writhing, her back arched up, and hand's out stretched, body smoking. Just as Maura was about to touch Jane blackness engulfed her, tuning her out.

She felt like she was nowhere yet somewhere. She could feel her legs and arms outstretched around her, but she couldn't see them, the darkness blinding her. The headache was back, pounding against her skull. The throbbing grew louder and louder, it sounded like it was saying something to her. Even though she couldn't see Maura closed her eyes concentrating through the pain, trying to hear what it was saying to her.

* * *

"Maura! Maura, can you hear me?!" Maura's senses rushed back to her. Her eyes fluttered open to see Susie looking down at her. She helped the blonde sit up slowly.

"Are you alright?" Maura rubbed her face.

"Yes… no…I mean, I will be." She sat there for a few more seconds before standing up moving towards the couch and sitting down. Susie stayed with her making sure she was truly alright, after five minutes of small talk Susie finally left her. She had told her that she was on her way out when she spotted Maura through the window on the ground. Maura brought her hand up to her head, the head ach there along with a tender bruise on her scalp. Lips pressed against the spot, taking away the pain.

"I saw you fall…but... you know there's nothing I could have done about it." Jane rasped. Maura didn't reply, didn't even open her eyes. "But I'm glad you're alright." Arms wrapped around her pulling her into a hug. Maura's head fell against Jane's chest. She kept her eyes closed, focusing on the person hugging her. She could feel Jane's breath on the back of her neck, smell her soft perfume that she wore. But something was something missing.

_No sound came from her chest._

Maura jerked away, no one sat there. She was all alone in her office again. She quickly changed rushing home, trying to stop the tears as they fell to no anvil.

* * *

The door slammed shut behind her, as she crumbled to the floor. She thought back to all those times Jane had hugged her had caressed her. There in the pit of her chest was a strong thudding that meant Jane was alive, that she was real and would always be there for her. But today in her office, her mind clicked, all the times since Jane had come to her after her death, there had been no beating, no tale tell sign that Jane was in fact alive.

She knew her mind was making everything up, she knew that it was just a copping mechanism, but she couldn't lie about the fact that she loved those moments when Jane came. Loved how her mind had conjured up such a realistic Jane to help dull the pain that seemed to stab are her at every mention of the lanky brunette. But now, she fully understood, now for some un-godfull reason, she finally got it.

_Jane was dead._

There came a shuffling noise as Bass turned the corner, spotting Maura on the floor he came over to investigate. The tears dried on her cheeks as coldness laid a blanket on her. Her mind seemed to finally stop. It stopped spitting out facts, thinking about what she needed to get done, about her family, it just simply stopped. A pressure in her chest seemed to lift, allowing her to breath. But one thing that stayed, one thing that haunted her, was the numbness she felt. No emotion weaved through her, no flicker of pain. _Nothing._

* * *

Something flashed through her mind. Yet another dark thought.

Yes.

She knew where Jane had kept her spare gun in Maura's house.

Jane had insisted that Maura kept it there, just in case she said.

* * *

"Just in case." Maura said out loud. She sat up and reached out, pulling the entrance way table's drawer open. The table was taller than her sitting position; so her hand searched randomly before it came into contact with the cool metal. The gun reflected the light that was on in the hall, Jane had kept it clean. It felt heavy and awkward in her hand. Just as Jane had showed her, she loaded it.

Maura knew where she should put the gun to get the best results. Not in the mouth, there was a chance it could ricochet off of her jaw bone and simply hurt her. No she didn't want that. She wanted to end it and maybe, some fluke in science would allow her to go to an afterlife she didn't believe in and finally be in Jane's arms, hear the heartbeat that she listened to so many times when they laid naked in her bed. To be able to thread her fingers through that wild mane of hair, to feel the strong muscles move and shift with ease as Jane would pick her up and spin her, kissing her.

Maura didn't cry as she put the gun to her head, right behind the temple. She didn't shake, didn't think. She knew she had to do this. Had to simply let go of this world filled with its suffering and pain. She just needed to feel something, anything. But what she wasn't anticipating happened so fast.

Something crackled like electricity, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. A loud boom echoed through her house, making pictures on the wall's fall, glass shattering everywhere. Vibrant light assaulted her eyes, making her gasp and drop the gun. Then came the noise; a high pitch _eeeing _sound, she clapped her hands over her ears, blood trickling down her nose. Bass retreated into his shell, not knowing what was going on. Electricity snapped around, leaving scorched marks on the walls, finally they gained purchase and stayed there, dancing around a central spot. Slowly, a hole started to appear. Wind started to rush towards this hole that was getting bigger, the electricity attaching to it zapped and crackled. Her hair was flying around and she felt her body being pulled closer towards this thing. The gun flew forward with the pull but missed the opening instead landing on the edge, it cut it in half.

Bass's shell started too slid across the ground. She dove, grabbing her tortoise holding him down. The hole was massive now; burning threw the walls, table, and floor. Her house groaned when the top of the hole reached the ceiling, cutting through the support beams. A crash came from behind the bright hole, maybe the ceiling falling in on itself? But she couldn't see; her eyes were locked on a murky image that was on the other side of the hole. It looked like a person, a lanky woman who was yelling something, pointed at a terrified man. Black curls moved with her as she slammed the man against something.

Maura screamed as the tug from the massive hole finally pulled her off of the ground and into it; along with Bass, her front door, table, and purse.

* * *

**If you have ever attempted or thought about suicide,**

**You're beautiful and I love you.**

**And even though I don't personally know you, just know that you are and forever will be in my thoughts.**

**Please,**

**Take care. -FTP**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok... This chapter may or may not be 5,690 words...**

* * *

**Universe 378**

Dr. Charles frowned at the piece of paper in his hand.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked his assistant; a shy girl, no older than twenty-five with blonde hair that was pulled up into a tight bun. She had insisted on working with him when they first met back at the university on Earth. At first he said no saying something about not wanting children running around underneath him. But she was persistent, always catching him between classes and in classes and one time even at his home late into the night. She showed him other skills she posed, finally persuading him to let her come along.

"Yes Doctor. I ran the numbers twice just to be sure." He threw the clipboard roughly back at her, his voice stern.

"Well then do it again!" Techies looked over their shoulders at him and the blonde. She ducked her head saying that she would and dashed off, doing his bidding. Dr. Charles gripped the metal railing that separated the science deck and large window. His shoulders tensed and rage seemed to radiate out of him. _Captain Rizzoli can't know of this._ He shoved himself away, going back to his work.

* * *

"You're kidding me right?" Konif asked as Jane grabbed the ball from her and ran away with it, swerving around Shafter.

"Why would I be?" Jane painted, shooting the basketball at the neat, missing. The net had to be moved higher so Shafter could play with them, its seven feet height giving it an advantage.

"Are you sure he said that?" The Captain gave Konif an annoyed look.

"I do not think Jane is kidding with you Olga." Shafter hummed, dribbling the ball as the game came to a standstill. They were enjoying some much needed R&R, the past few days being rather hectic with the preparation of arriving at the black hole. The Charkgin's running around, making sure all of their monitors where up and running, getting their own fighters to tip top shape so they could get closer to the black hole and get better readings. It was all dangerous work and it weighed heavily on Jane's mind. Under her command anything could go wrong, she found herself needing to lose herself in the silver sphere, the forest promising escape from all of her duties.

"Oh yeah and were you there?" Konif took a swipe at the basketball it was holding while Jane went to go get a drink of water on the table behind the two bickering friends.

"Well-" Jane cut off Shafter.

"Yeah it was." The red head spun facing Jane, while Shafter's face showed confusion and then finally understanding.

"Yes I was Olga and if I do remember correctly, we told him that you were more than willing to go to dinner with him tonight."

"You two did what?!" The small woman shrieked and dived at Jane who easily threw her over her shoulder, making the red head land on the padded floor with an "_oomph"_. She laid there as her friends leaned over, looking down at her.

"I actually wasn't there, so I have no idea what Jane said to the promising suitor," Shafter hummed, squinting in its eyes; humor. Konif grabbed Jane's outstretched hand grumbling.

"To tell you the truth he didn't even want me to tell you. He just asked if you were seeing anyone and if you would be free tonight. I think he's planning on asking you sometime while you're at your post, so you can't really run away." Jane said softly, trying not to draw any more attention to the three then they already did. When the time called for it, Jane could be very fierce, hard, and distrustful, but around her friends she was quiet and thoughtful. She knew many people called her a bitch behind her back because she was such a determined worker and wanted to get everything done right. But, as Konif often said, "_You just gotta get to know the Captain, she's pretty chill."_

"Thanks for the heads up." The red head looked down at her hands, picking at an invisible scab.

"Konif I can tell him it's a bad idea…" Jane trailed off, looking up at Shafter who had all three eyes closed; worry.

"What? No, don't do that." Konif sighed before lifting her head and squaring her shoulders.

"Then what's wrong?" Shafter hummed.

"It's just…. I have nothing to wear." Jane burst out laughing as Shafter hummed with happiness.

"You haven't been on a date in what, seven years? And you're worried you don't have anything to wear."

"What you think I'm going to be rusty on my social skills?"

"Well, Olga, you seem to only converse with use or your 'minions'." Shafter put air quotes around the word. Konif frowned deeply, widening her eyes as it finally sunk in that someone was asking her out to dinner.

"Oh god… _Oh god! _JANE! What if I offend the guy?! You know with my loud mouth and the way that I always cuss-"

"Since when do you cuss?" Jane asked puzzled.

"Well not around you, because you're my boss." Shafter nodded its head in agreement, while Jane chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll be fine Konif. He seemed like a nice guy."

"Wait… who is it anyways?" Konif looked between Jane and Shafter.

"I can't ruin the surprise now can I?" Konif groaned loudly as Shafter put the basketball away. A few people saying hello to the alien as it walked by them.

"Come on, let's get back to work. I have to head down and talk to Dr. Charles anyways." They slipped out of the room walking down the hallway of Wing B. People walked by them, some engrossed with conversations others simply out to stretch their muscles.

"Oh Jane, I have been meaning to ask you. Can I come with you to go speak with Dr. Charles? My people would very much like to know what he is planning on doing and whether or not it will affect our readings." Jane nodded her head pleased that she wouldn't have to go speak with that creepy old man by herself. The doors of the elevator opened to the far side of Wing A, Konif held the doors open saying,

"Wish me luck with my incoming doom."

"Konif you'll be fine, just don't be rude." Jane laughed as the doors closed on Konif's scolding face. Something caught her eye as she fell into step with Shafter.

"Shaf, you alright?" The alien was being more then awkward, it was expressing something Jane had never seen before. The alien's eyes flicked closed for a second; worry.

"Yes Jane I am."

"You've never been good at lying Shafter." Jane spoke softly, knowing any wrong phrase will make her friend stop speaking. It sounded to Jane that Shafter sighed, the holes in its neck vibrating with the rush of air.

"It's just… Olga… and… her date…" The tall alien was flustered, actually flustered. Jane stopped walking, pulling her friend aside.

"Shafter are you _jealous?"_ The alien looked very uncomfortable. "Oh my god you are."

"Please Jane. I don't want to talk about this right now." Jane stood there for a few more seconds, shocked. "But… I promise to talk to you about it. In fact I think I will welcome the idea of confiding in you." The Charkgin took a step away, looking over its shoulder seeing if Jane was following, she did lost in her thoughts.

Bi-species relationships weren't uncommon, but they were definitely scarce, most aliens out living Humans. But the thought of Shafter and Konif becoming a couple, made Jane happy. They were perfect for each other, constantly bickering back and forth and Jane had lost track of how many times she had gone over to Konifs' or Shafters' apartment and the other was already there. _Now that I think about it, they are always together…._ At first Jane had blamed it on the connection the two shared. The Charkgin make it a habit of saving others and when they do they have an unbreakable bond to that person.

"Captain Rizzoli, here to question me about my finding's no doubt," said a voice, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Yes Dr. Charles; I want to know how everything was coming a long and if you'll be ready for when we reach our destination tomorrow." The Doctor fidgeted with a clip board in his hand, casting a look at Shafter.

"And why does this require the presence of a Charkgin?" A fire of anger started to burn in her chest at the Doctor's tone towards her friend.

"I am merely here to see how your experiment will affect my peoples' readings Doctor," Shafter; always polite even to people who hated its kind.

"Well, my assistant Doctor Veronica White will help you with that." A young blonde woman perked up at her name. "Veronica, be a dear and show this Charkgin around."

"Yes sir…. Oh wait." She shuffled a little bit in front of Shafter before stiffening. She brought her hand to her forehead and then back to her heart and swept it out. A deep hum escaped Shafter's chest at the woman's understanding of the Charkgin's greeting.

"Very good Dr. White." Shafter returned the greeting before introducing itself to her, falling into step they talked, moving towards some monitors. Jane let her eyes linger on her friends' broad back before turning her attention to the aging Doctor. They walked around the room, discussing what will happen tomorrow.

Upon reaching their destination tomorrow, which Konif has assured Jane that they will, the Charkgin will send out their own ships getting closer to the most dangerous thing in the galaxy without putting Hapsha in risk. Dr. Charles was planning on letting some of his crew attended the aliens, explaining to Jane a sort of jump portal.

"We will open a viewing portal out in space, using the energy of the black hole, and then connect to portal A with portal B which will be set up here." He pointed to a massive metal circle that had moving joints all around it. "By doing this we can get a clearer picture of what Universe 201 looks like, also, if anything does go wrong, I assure you it won't, we can shut off portal A before it affects portal B."

"I hope you're allowing Professor Palmer to be down her, after all you're the one that said he could come along," Jane's raspy voice showing her authority over this man.

"Of course I am Captain Rizzoli. As soon as we have everything up and running he will be allowed to observe and take as many notes as he wants to." Shafter walked up to them, Dr. White standing next to it smiling.

"Captain Rizzoli, everything seems to be in order here. My people will be very pleased."

"Good I'm glad, if that is everything Dr. Charles?" The older man looked between Shafter and Jane quickly before nodding his head. A few people saluted Jane as she and Shafter left the room walking down the metal grated hallway.

"I have to check in with Luna base and let them know that we are expected to arrive tomorrow. I'll talk to you later?"

"Yes Jane. I think you will. I'll find you. I must make sure my people are ready for the excitement that's going to take place tomorrow." They waved goodbye as Jane walked into the lab and headed over to the Holoroom, calling Luna Base. Her hair moved around with the air as the walls of the circler room started to spin, etching detail of the base. She squinted her eyes and tried to focus as the odd 2D of the room that was now being show before her appeared.

"You must be Captain Rizzoli," said a man she didn't know.

"Yes I am. I wish to speak with Admiral Jones; it's about my mission."

"I'm sorry Captain but Admiral Jones is no longer at Luna Base, business at the Orb Cloud called him away." Jane narrowed her eyes. The last time she had spoken to Casey, a few weeks ago, he seemed even more distracted than usual. "But where are my manners. I am Major Chris White." Jane quickly stood at attention slating the man with the common three fingers to our temple. "Relax Captain; I'm not one for formalities." Jane stood at attention still, not one to break code with a superior officer. Someone came up to the man handing him something saying his name again Jane perked up. _White…_ _Doctor Veronica White? I wonder if they're related._

"Anyways," he turned his attention make to Jane. "What can I do for you?" She quickly filled him in on how things were going and when they were expecting to arrive at their destination. Finally she asked a question one that she's asked Casey countless of times but never got a straight answer.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Go ahead Rizzoli."

"Is everything back at home OK?" The Major folded his arms, looking off to his right before sighing and turning his attention back to her.

"For now it is. The Flux, as we've dubbed them, is pressing against our borders. Everything is under control but I don't want to jinx it."

"Major White, why didn't the master in chief order the return of Hapsha?"

"Honestly, we didn't think that it would get this bad. We have underestimated this species, but we seem to be doing fine. Whenever we do get in a scuffle it seems they back away quickly when one of their own go down. This 'war' will probably be done by the time you get back."

"But Hapsha is one of the biggest fighters the fleet has." Jane rolled her shoulders, starting to forget her place, her anger distracting her.

"Look, Captain Rizzoli, the fact of the matter is, is that we need you out there more than anything, working alongside civilians, the Charkgin, the Oper, and the Jungken. We need to show the people of Earth that the Orion Fleet is willing to work alongside both."

"But-"

"I will not discuss this any further Captain," he said sternly. "If that is all?" Her face went stone, saluting him as the feed was cut out. She slammed open the door grumbling to herself, pissed off. She paced in the small confinements of the elevator as it made its way over to the H.C.C. When the doors opened finally it was to find a very, _very, _angry Shafter.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A THING!" It screamed. Two of its eyes were closed, leaving the third open, pooling with black; protection and anger. It was crouched down so it would be ready for an attack; the hidden fin on top of its head was raised, showing a very rare side of her friend.

"Well it's true! We all know it is," the man gestured around the crowd that circled them, all oblivious to Jane standing there. "We know you're only friends with the Captain to get into her good graces. Trust me we've all tried to do it but she's such a bitch about it. How the hell does an alien be better friends with her then her own crewmates?"

"Maybe because those aliens are loyal and don't talk about me behind my back," Jane's voice rasped out, making everyone freeze. Shafter opened its eyes, the third already going back to its normal blue, the fin slowly lowering at the presence of her. The man turned sharply, shocked that Jane was standing there.

"C-Captain, I didn't see you there."

"Are you sure it's Captain? And not bitch?" She took a dangerous step closer to the man. He attempted to school his features, straightening himself up, coming a few inches above Jane's height.

"Yes Ma'am its Captain." Jane narrowed her eyes.

"_Get out of my sight," _she said so softly that only he could hear her. He quickly dashed off, the crowed dispersing. Shafter straightened itself out, black still in its third eye, showing anger and hurt.

"Shaf, you OK?"

"Yes, Captain I am. Bu-" Someone called to Jane, needing her over at the Hologram of Hapsha.

"We'll talk later?" Jane asked, already moving away. The alien nodded its head before walking away.

* * *

Jane lazily turned the page in the book she was reading, the sun shining down on her, wind blowing through the trees that sat at the edge of the meadow. The soft _SHH_ as her apartment doors opening made her ears twitch, but she continued reading. The image around her rippled as Shafter walked through it, lying down next to her, its feet hanging outside of the projection. They sat in silence Jane reading her book and Shafter playing with something in its hands and watching the sky turn a reddish orange with the fake setting of the sun. A bird tweeted off in the distance. Finally Shafter hummed out softly,

"Don't you get tired of this place?" Jane glanced at it and then back to her book.

"Yes and no, I welcome it. It's a nice change in scenery from the dullness of the ship." She turned the page again.

"May I then?" Shafter was pointing at the silver sphere, hidden in the swaying grass.

"Yeah go ahead." She sat up, marking her place in her book and turned to watch what Shafter was doing. It grabbed the sphere, turning off the projection of the forest. They were thrown back into the Jane's apartment, with the soft creaks of the metal moving, the coolness washing off of the window and the hum of the ship. She missed the forest almost instantly. A small hidden door opened when Shafter ran its finger across it, spitting out a small white rectangle that shined with different colors.

"Here, give me your right arm." Shafter grabbed her Omnicuff, opening the hidden compartment underneath, showing the guts of the cuff. Shafter and Konif where the only people that knew that that's where Jane hid her mothers' wedding ring. The alien found the hidden area and placed the object that was in its hand there. "Just for safe keeping Jane," Shafter explained. It turned its attention back to sphere, placing the thing it was fiddling with into the small port. With a look over its shoulder Shafter turned the sphere back on.

Blue. There was so much blue. The sphere made it look like they were sitting inside a glass dome. She could feel the hardness of it underneath her bottom, her bony ankles digging into it. They were underwater, vibrant fish swam by in schools or by themselves. Light wobbled and shifted as the top of the ocean they were in contorted it all. Jane took a deep breath; the air was fresh and clean in the dome, no smells getting to her nose. She looked down the clear bottom and saw the ocean floor just a few feet below them. It was covered in coral, fish, octopuses; something she had no idea what it was called swam around it. A dark trench was off to her left, a massive fin floated over the lip, before going back down again.

"I don't recommend reading at night in this scene, it would be very hard." Jane smiled.

"Is this one of the oceans on your home world?" The Charkgin were a marine based species, being able to breathe underwater and oxygen always making the Humans jealous.

"Yes it is actually, its," a low hum was produced from Shafter's vocal cords followed by a high click at the end. It squinted its eyes in humor at Jane's face. "In Human tongue we call it Larinth."

"Oh," was all Jane said turning her attention back to the fish swimming by the large glass circle they sat in. Shafter lay down, its body following the curve of the wall, Jane followed suit. They watched the fish investigate the object before continuing swimming along their way. The light rippled and Jane could just make out howling winds coming from above the water line.

"You're not a bitch," the alien suddenly said.

"Huh?" Jane was too lost in the moment to remember what it was talking about.

"What Officer Gaimen said, you're not a bitch."

"Since when do you understand human insults?" Jane deflected.

"Since I became friends with you and Olga. Don't change the subject Jane." The Captain huffed, folding her arms behind her head. "I know it hurts you whenever they call you something like that, no matter how hard you try to hide it."

"You know me to well."

"Ah well, it has been twenty years." Jane opened her mouth to speak but then thought better of it, Shafter not missing anything said, "Speak your mind Jane." She sat there, the hand under her head tensing than relaxing again.

"Shafter, what are you going to do when… well…," she couldn't finish the sentence.

"When you and Olga finally reach the end of your lives?" Shafter hummed softly. Jane didn't say anything, knowing her friend would understand. "_I have no idea," _the Charkgin whispered. In the corner of Jane's eye she saw Shafter wipe away something, _a tear. _Yet another Human expression Shafter has picked up on. She heard an odd exhale and looked over at her friend. Shafter's mouth was open, a sob escaping its body.

"Shafter…," Jane said, grabbing her friend as it started to cry harder. She didn't really know what to do, this being the first time Shafter has every fully expressed a human emotion. A long time ago the Charkgin had explained once that its people do have tear ducts, but crying wasn't something they were used too, stopping when they grew out of infancy. So she simply sat there, allowing her friend to cry on her shoulder, Jane however did have to admit, she was a little out of her element here. In a minute or two, Shafter stopped, it pulled away, embarrassed, wiping at its face and firmly closing its mouth.

"I'm sorry Jane."

"You don't have to apologies," Jane said to its back.

"I just don't like thinking about that. You have no idea how often I do."

"Me too," Jane said. Shafter wasn't just her friend it had become a part of her family. Her own Mother welcoming it with open arms, kissing each cheek and asking what it liked to eat, while her Father gave Konif a bone crushing hug.

"I'll make sure to put my new chess board in my will so it'll go to you. I just know how much you love the game," Jane said sarcastically. It laughed a little before turning back to look at Jane, its face showing no evidence that it had been crying at all.

"Jane, about Olga…" Jane raised her hand.

"It's OK Shafter; you don't have to tell me."

"I know but I want to."

"OK."

"I just… I want Olga to find someone right someone that will do her good, you too." Its eyes darkened a little with the thought of Casey but quickly cleared. "But I have no idea who this person is that's taking Olga out…. And… I… I mean." It stopped talking all together. Jane took a wild guess, hoping she was right,

"Are you worried that she'll pick him instead of you?" It shifted awkwardly.

"_Yes,_" was all it said. Jane exhaled, running her hand through her hair, not used to playing match maker.

"Well then how come you've never tried to take her out then?"

"Because I don't want to ruin the friendship." Jane couldn't help herself, a laugh escaped her chest. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"Because Shaf, that sounded so… so Human." It hummed at her. "Listen Shafter, I don't know if Konif is even willing to be in a bi-species relationship, but I know she's not against them either. You two have a special connection, hell, I even feel it when she walks in and you're standing next to me. I'm not telling you that you should jump at the next chance you get to ask her out, but I'm not telling you that you shouldn't either."

"Are you saying that what will be, will be?" Shafter hummed, squint in its eyes.

"Uhm…. I think so?"

"Why Captain, how Charkgin of you." Shafter retaliated.

* * *

Someone was knocking loudly on her door. Jane groaned, putting the pillow over her head to dull out the noise, they knocked again.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming." She swung her legs out, hissing as they touched the cool floor, her clock reading 12:48 A.M. _God, what do these people want from me._ Jane yawned as she stepped up the two sections of stairs, before pressing the Holo button, allowing the door to open.

"Oh my gosh! He's amazing! I think I might actually marry him!" Konif's high pitched voice made Jane close her eyes and say,

"Not so loud…" Konif seemed to finally get a sense of herself; seeing Jane dressed only in her Simitu suit, messed up hair and half closed eyes.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I was up playing chess by myself. Yes you woke me!" Jane said, only slightly annoyed that her best friend woke her. Konif walked by her heading to the kitchen, Jane saying a soft,

"Sure, come on in, I wasn't sleeping at all," under her breath. She walked by Konif filling up a glass of water and flopped down face first on her bed, throwing the blankets over herself. "Tell me everything," she rasped into the pillow and Konif did, oh how Konif told her everything. About how he was super funny, smart, and good looking. He's name was Shin-Tu and he was an engineer that worked under Kate Larson. And most importantly about how JD, the chef, had whipped up something special for them.

"Oh! I almost forgot the best part, he get's this little dimple in his cheek when he smiles, just one, it's so handsome!" Konif gushed as Jane blinked lazily at her. Konif finally yawned, the clock saying she's been there for almost an hour and a half.

"Oh man, Jane you kept me up to long," Jane shook her head, giving Konif a look. She laughed, joking with Jane. "I'll see you later on, today's the big day!" Jane grumbled and shifted down relaxing into the bed again, starting to drift off. Konif made a loud _MMMMMUH_ sound as she kissed Jane on the side of the head, striding away throwing a 'good night my forbidden love!' over her shoulder. The brunette couldn't help but smile into her sleep at the small woman.

* * *

"Holy mother of fuck…" Konif said softly. Jane folded her arms, standing behind the red head looking out the H.C.C.'s massive windows. The floors got quiet almost instantly when everyone's attention was drawn towards the windows. Every color possible was off in the distance, spiraling into something. You couldn't actually see the black hole, but you could see all of the things being sucked into it. A large meteor flew past Hapsha, almost hitting it.

"Holy crap." The ship groaned as Konif switched on the reverse thrusters. The lights started to flicker and the hull of the ship shuttered with the fight they were in the middle off. The floor shook, throwing people around, then, the gravity cut out with the lights. Konif was scrambling, one of her hands flew over the dials, the other buckling herself in, her mouth throwing orders out to her co-pilots that just sat there not knowing what to do. The ship turned with its own will towards the space monster. Jane was shouting to be heard over the yells from the other crew, trying to stable the ship. She was on a call with the head engineer Kate Larson, trying to figure out the gravity and lights situation.

"Well at least give me some damn light, we're completely blind!" Orange light from the Holoscreen's and Hologram's making everyone look odd. White emergency light kicked one, red ones blinking on the floor.

"_Warning, emergency lighting has now been put into effect. Please be careful with all activities." _Andis' voice echoed over everyone. The black hole was fighting Konif with every tooth and nail it held, wanting to feast on their ship. Konif slammed into her straps, as did the other people who were strapped in when Hapsha finally broke free of the pull.

"YEAH!" Konif yelled, making everyone around her jump. "THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE YOU LITTLE BITCH!" She casted a look around her, quickly clearing her voice,

"Ahem… I mean we are out of the range of the black hole now Captain Rizzoli."

"Captain, I think I can manage to get gravity back on as long as we stay out of the black holes range. I have no idea why, but it just made all my systems phase out." Her accent made the hairs on the back of Jane's neck stand up. "Hold on." She ship hummed and creaked as the massive magnets started to turn around again, making everyone heavy.

"Is everyone alright?!" Jane yelled. She got answers, saying everyone was fine. She smacked Konif on the shoulder before heading up to floor one preparing for the mission that was about to take place.

* * *

"Opening Portal A in three… two… one…" Dr. Charles pressed a button while everyone held their breath. It has been five hours since they've come into contact with the space monster, already a few people have reported being sick. Jane could feel sweat trickle down her back and her stomach roll with the extra pull from the black hole, her crew mates mirrored her image.

"We have successful connection!" Dr. White said, the lab erupted in cheers.

"Oh good show! This is all very exciting isn't it Jane?" said Professor Palmer at her elbow.

"Yes it is."

"Alright, now here comes the moment of truth everyone," Dr. Charles said. His techies where running all over the place, making sure their communications with the Charkgin weren't getting cut off or that Portal A was in fact staying open. Shafter was on a Holoscreen, out in one of its people's ships, helping. Its vibrating voice spoke up.

"Dr. Charles…" Its eyes reflected something. "This is… unbelievable." Dr. Charles squared his shoulders and said with authority,

"Opening Portal B in Three… Two… One." The arms on the massive metal circle spun faster and faster, red lasers shot out of them. The arms where going so fast that it looked like a solid sheet of red, until, in the very center, blue started to emerge. Electricity shot out, attaching itself against the metal ring, assisting in the opening of the portal. With a flash of grayish green light, the circle erupted.

Jane's mouth fell open. The image was a little murky, but it showed what appeared to be a long hallway. A wooden door sat at the end of it, a table against the wall and a whole in the wall off to the left of the image. Things hung on the wall and a piece of what Jane could only guess to be, fabric lined the floor. It had elegant designs on it. Everyone cheered, but Dr. Charles frowned. _It appears Dr. Whites readings were off._ He smiled smugly at himself.

"Bravo!" Palmer shouted along with everyone else. Although the portal didn't show the outside world, it showed them enough to see that Universe 201 was so different from their own. She looked down at the little man who had a large floppy leather journal open and he was sketching what they could see.

"This is amazing," Jane said under her breath. She took a deep breath and walked over to Dr. Charles, getting closer to the portal in the process.

"Dr. Charles congra-" But something happening in the other Universe cut her off. The door at the end of the hallway opened. A woman crumbled to the floor, crying, the door slamming behind her. She was blonde, Jane could tell that much. A bag fell next to her as she pulled her knees in close to her chest, resting her forehead against them, crying harder. The room around them got quiet as they watched this woman cry. Jane heard scribbling and she looked over her shoulder. Dr. White had her hand to her open mouth, others faces were cold, trying to keep their emotions in check, but there leaning over a table was the Professor, sketching this woman grieving.

The portal only projected an image and not sounds, so they could only watch the woman shake in silence. A brown thing came into the bottom of the image but the Captain couldn't make out what it was. That's when it happened. Shafter started to shout something, but they couldn't hear it over the crackle of electricity that was coming from the portal, then the feed to her friend cut out all together.

"What's happened?!" Jane shouted over the load sounds. Dr. Charles was clicking buttons so fast but it didn't seem to work. She threw a nervous look at the red portal, the woman had a black object to her head, and it kinda looked like one of her sonic pistols.

"A portal is opening in Universe 201!" Dr. Charles shouted at her. She grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around so he could face her.

"What do you mean a portal is opening?! I thought you said that couldn't happen!" She rammed her finger into his chest to add emphasis to what she was saying. The sounds of electricity got louder, wind out of nowhere few around, making her hair dance. White light was being projected from the portal making it hard to see.

"Dr. White said this could happen, but I thought-" She gripped his color, slamming him into his computers, making the Holoscreen's wobble.

"YOU KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN?!"

An explosion from her left cut off Dr. Charles reply.

* * *

**oooh! The merging chapter is next. No more jumping back and forth. *excitement***

**Thank you for reading. : ) ****Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Take care everyone. - FTP **


	10. Chapter 10

**Just a quick explanation before you indulged in this amazing chapter. When there are breaks in paragraphs and such like**

* * *

**one of those, its switching view points between Jane and Maura, just a heads up so ya don't get confused. Also with this jumping back and forth some actions may be repeated but given with more explanation because one character knows more then the other. With that,**

**R****ead on!**

* * *

**Between Universe 201 and Universe 378**

Maura couldn't breathe. It felt like her whole body was being pushed inside of a small tube. She could feel her bones bending and moving trying to make herself smaller, her body trying to fit her into this impossible space. The vision of the entrance way to her home was shrinking as she was being forced through this impossible space with such force. She closed her eyes as lights danced around, flashing at her making her sick. It felt like her skin was being burned off, her bones breaking and her muscle's slowly being pulled apart. She tried to scream, tried to somehow soften the pain that was being forced upon her but her lungs were flat, inverting themselves to give her the air she needed.

She felt like she was flying, the pressure started to let up, her bones moving back, arms and legs tingling. She could tell she was gaining speed but didn't know how or where she was. The lights danced around on her closed eyelids. She was thrown into something with so much force she thought her arm would break. She rolled and rolled, bouncing against hard objects. Her ears were ringing not hearing anything, she tried to stop herself but couldn't gain purchase with whatever she was hitting finally she slammed against something, hitting her head on it, warm blood trickled down and into her hair. Wind brushed her face finally granting her air. She opened her mouth wide like a fish gasping, snapping her eyes open to a scene of chaos.

* * *

**Universe 378**

The explosion was so sudden it knocked people down. Dr. Charles fell on top of Jane. People screaming and crying out for help as pieces of metal flew out hitting them.

"_Warning hull breach; engaging in emergency environmental force field," _Andi's robotic voice said over head.

Jane pushed the doctor off of herself standing up. A fire was roaring around the explosion point, smoke hung in the air making it hard to see. She coughed, finding it hard to breathe. Solders that where in the room were pulling metal off of people and helping them up, watching over those to hurt to stand. Little Professor Palmer was peeking over an over turned table, his glasses knocked sideways, comb over standing straight. They locked eyes and he nodded his head telling her he was alright. She turned her attention back to the explosion point yelling,

"Someone get that fire out!" Solders rushed to do her bidding. Looking cautiously at a long multicolored tube was connected to the portal that they had open on their side. She looked at the portal itself but it only showed solid white. Someone coughing below her grabbed her attention, anger raced through her veins. She bent down and grabbed Dr. Charles collar pulling him to his feet, her face fierce, and his scared.

"What. Did. You. Do?" she spaced out the words her voice low and raspy.

"I… I… A portal opened in 201… I think th-that woman we saw is coming through." Jane's face went white her eyes growing big. She dropped the Doctor and turned to her Omnicuff. There were two soft blinking blue lights, asking for her attention she clicked both of them. Konif's face popped up along with Shafters they were already in the middle of a conversation,

"-cut out from us?" Konif asked worried about her friends.

"I am fine Olga, our portal is closed however and there seems to be something coming out of the black hole, so I am more concerned with Jane." Jane turned her cuff towards the hole in the side of the ship. It was massive the multicolored tube only took up a small section, but it blew up a good section of the ship with its entrance. Force fields flickered, the only thing protecting them from the vacuum of space.

"We have a couple of hurt people," she started to walk thought the group of people making sure everyone was ok. "But I think we're all fine." Someone had managed to get the fire out, the smoke clearing. Jane leaned against the back wall take a breath rubbing her face.

"Captain Rizzoli…." Dr. White ran up to her, tear tracks running down her face. Jane said a quick goodbye with Konif and Shafter looking back at Dr. White. "This is my entire fault! I figured out that this would happen but I didn't go to you I… I d-d-didn…." Her heavy sobs didn't let her continue. Jane was torn. She wanted to be stern with this girl angry about what had happened due to her choices of not speaking up, but wanting to comfort her at the same time. She placed her hand on her shoulder, squeezing it.

"We'll talk about this later Dr. White." The young woman nodded and walked away, wiping at her tears. Jane sighed just as a high pitched _eeeeeing _noise rang out, making her drop to her knees clapping her hand over her ears, other's mirroring her. She was thrown forward as the ship suddenly lurched, she could feel it swinging in a wild arc towards something. The noise was getting louder; she sat up looking at the force field grimacing at the noise. Through the massive hole in the side of the ship she saw Charkgin ships zooming out of the way of Hapsha as it started to spin around the space monster. She yelled in shock as the force field went out for a quick second making her fly forward. She grabbed a bar that stretched along the wall.

"PALMER!" Jane shouted at the little man who was a few feet away from her. He was curled up, crying at the noise that the portal was making. But he heard her and started to crawl towards her. Jane stretched her hand out trying to get to him as the force field flickered again, papers flying out, air rushing and the lights flickering as the magnetic field of the black hole messed with Hapsha's systems. Palmer did an awkward leap, Jane grabbing him and pulling him towards her, making sure he was secured against the railing.

Suddenly the noise stopped and there was another loud explosion. Things were thrown out of the portal, smashing into people and the walls, something brown flew past Jane and out into the hallway where the door was opening, a red light flashing above it. _Charles is trying to get out._ Jane thought as she saw the man trying to make his way towards the open doors not helping the people he passed, fighting the pull from the flickering force field.

"EVERYONE, GET TO THE DOOR!" Jane yelled at the fear stricken people. She grabbed someone's out stretched hand pulling them towards her and helping them grab onto the railing. Palmer slid along the railing able to get out into the hall, he helped pull people in. Jane warped her arm around Dr. White as the portal flickered out again. Her legs flew out from under her and she gripped the railing holding tighter onto Veronica, her muscles straining. She watched as Dr. Charles slipped and then flew out of the hole, hitting the side of the wall and was flung out into space with four others who weren't able to get a grip. The force field flickered on again and Jane and Veronica were slammed back into the ground.

Suddenly a person flew out of the portal, it closing after they escaped. They crashed into the ground hard, rolling over and over again. Their arms flew out trying to stop themselves from rolling and to slow themselves down.

"Move! Move!" Jane yelled over the sound of electricity popping and wind rushing around as a small section of the force field was off, slowly it was losing the battle with the black hole. She pushed on Veronica as she saw that the person was flying straight at them. Veronica managed to get out of the dangerous room but Jane didn't. She gasped as the person crashed fully into her, one of their knees coming in contact with her chest making her loose all of her breath. She leaned over coughing trying to get air. Another section of the force field stopped working, wind howling louder now and the pull from the vacuum of space getting harder. As long as Hapsha kept pumping air into the room she would be OK until the force field closed all together. The ship groaned underneath her and she felt it shutter; Konif fighting the gravitational pull and losing.

Jane closed her eyes thinking. _Konif would do anything in her power to save everyone on this ship and I have to do mine. _The hall breach was making the ship lurch, making it all that harder for Konif to straighten the ship out and use the reverse thrusters. She quickly looked at the woman that was lying on the floor, eyes wide and gasping for breath as she stared at Jane.

"_JANE!_" Palmer yelled over the howling wind, another section of the field failing. She knew in order to save the ship she had to seal this door up. There was no more time for her to get herself and the other person into the hall. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. She jumped up slamming her hand into the panel making the door close just as the finale section of the force field failed. She lost her grip on the railing and she grabbed onto the person that and flown out of the portal as they both were sucked towards space. They slid along the floor. Jane fiddled with her Simitu suit's options on her left hand, her eyes coming in contact with Palmers face through the doors window, utterly crush. Jane closed her eyes as her and the blonde were thrown out. Wires raked her face and her shoulder hit the edge of the hole, making them spin.

And then they were floating in space, Hapsha racing away from them and towards the black hole. Jane gasped; she had time to turn on her Simitu suits emergency environment systems before being plunged into blackness. It looked like everyone else wasn't as lucky as she was. They were still flying pretty fast, she closed her eyes and looked away when she saw a doctor frozen, his face stuck in a look of horror. She shivered; the blue field around her and the blonde barely keeping the cold out. The search lights of Hapsha swept past them as the ship was able to straighten out. She could just picture Konif yelling, fingers rushing over the buttons, maybe even grabbing the manual flying handles, directing the thrusters; it looked like she was losing the battle however.

Jane lifted her arm up glancing at the Simitus menu. Normally it would give you twenty-four hours, but she was sharing it with another person, their time cut in half. She looked down at the person she was holding onto. Their arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, so tightly it was a little hard to breathe. Blonde hair sprouted out of their head and it was long and wavy, she spotted a small cut on the top of their head, it slowly bleeding. They had their face buried into her chest, by the feel of it was indeed a woman like Dr. Charles had said it would be. Jane tried to get the woman to look at her so she could talk to her but she only gripped her harder. She sighed calling Shafter on her Omnicuff, Konif not picking up.

"Jane!" It hummed at her. All three of its eyes were half closed; worry.

"I'm alright, well, not really. I think I'm bleeding." She could feel the sting from a cut on her neck.

"I'm taking it you're not in Hapsha any longer?"

"No… and Shafter," she pointed her Omnicuff down lower so her friend could see the oddly dressed woman that still clung to Jane. Shafter closed all of its eyes in confusion. "She came through the portal Shafter." It opened its two bottom eyes leaving the third closed; disbelief.

"What has she said?" it asked her, its voice a little higher than normal.

"She hasn't said anything and she won't look at me, she's just holding me."

"She could be in shock Jane." The captain saw a Charkgin ship approaching her, Shafter saving her. Hapsha seemed to have slowed down its impending doom, escape pods being were being shot out of it, their smaller mass making it easier for them to get out of the pull from the black hole. The long Charkgin ship pulled alongside Jane careful not to bump her. She gripped the outer railings as the door to the airlock opened. She pulled herself and the blonde into the small square room.

"_Hey…"_ Jane said softly to the person refusing to let go of her. Jane needed to warn her that the gravity is going to turn on and her ears are going to pop with the pressurization. "_Hey… come on."_ She rubbed her hands along the woman's back trying to get her to let go. Already air was being pumped into the room, her Simitu suit's E.E.O. turning off with a swipe of her hand. The blonde seemed to realize that Jane was in fact speaking to her.

* * *

Maura has no idea what is going on. When she was shot out of that portal, her head hitting the wall she felt her legs come in contact with something soft followed by someone coughing. When she opened her eyes finally, the room was destroyed but that's not what had shocked her the most, it was the brunette woman that had quickly glanced at her.

_It was Jane that had quickly glanced at her._

And the next thing she knew Jane's strong arms were around her, holding her protecting her as they slid along the floor. When they passed through the thresh hold of where space met ship she felt the cold attack her, she was so confused. Was this just another escape her mind had made up for her to help her accept reality? But why would this help her? Why would being thrown around, bruised and bleeding and then being pulled out into the vacuum of space help her? She could hear Jane speaking, her voice booming from her chest but she couldn't make out the words, her ears still ringing. She felt strong hands try to get her to look up at her, but Maura knew that if she did then this whole fabrication would break, she would be thrown back into her own world were the gun rested in her hand and bass looked worried at her. But now the ringing had subsisted and she could hear Jane perfectly fine now.

"_Hallo…"_ Her raspy voice was soft. Maura knew that world; it was a greeting in German. Why was Jane speaking German? Maura's mind raced her heart rate picking up as her confusion and fear started to take over.

"_Hallo… shivft narchten." _Maura had no idea what Jane was saying now. Jane was speaking something that she didn't know. Maura knew twenty different languages, but she didn't know this one. She felt Jane rub her hand along her back. Maura could hear air hiss into the small room they were in and her ears started to pop. She slowly looked up staring at Jane's neck before finally looking into warm brown eyes.

"Artnto lorn?" Maura could tell it was a question by the way Jane raised her voice at the end of it and tilted her head a little bit. Maura just kept staring at Jane's face, missing those sharp cheek bones, the dimple in her chin. She brought her hand up slowly touching Jane's face. The brunette's eyes darted towards Maura's hand but she didn't move as Maura cupped her cheek, running her fingers through her hair. Jane's hair was shorter then when the last time her mind conjured up Jane.

_This is so odd,_ Maura thought to herself. _This feels so real._

The brunettes' eyebrows knitted together as she watched Maura's face, confused as to why she was touching her. The room started to hum as the gravity started to turn on, pressurization being complete. Maura looked down between their bodies as they slowly became weighted again. Her feet touched the ground first and then Jane was standing next to her, stepping out of her hold, giving Maura a confused look. Finally, _finally_ Maura found her voice.

"Jane?" The brunette snapped her head up staring at Maura.

"Shavrts yigerzen larch mifpt?!" Jane's voice was hard and she was staring at Maura. The door whooshed open and Maura slowly tilted her head up and up mouth open as someone, no _something_ stood there. Jane gave Maura a look before turning towards the thing. Its skin was a soft pigment of green and Maura could see blue veins just underneath its skin. It had three massive eyes on its face, holes in its neck that vibrated as the thing breathed. Her eyes were drawn to his? Hers? Maura didn't know if it was a male or female, two of its eyes were open and were the brightest blue and its third eye was completely black. Maura took a step back as the thing lifted its hand to her. Its hand had three fingers and were webbed, its arm looking like it had two elbows. Both Jane and this thing started at her. Maura had no idea what to do, did it want her to shake its hand?

* * *

Jane looked at the blonde seeing what she would do next, hurt her friend or take its hand. Shafter glanced at her, its hand slowly lowering obviously seeing the other woman so was so freaked out.

"Jane?" Shafter hummed making the blonde gasp a little, her hazel eyes trained on the holes in its neck and then looking at Jane.

"She knows my name Shafter." Jane rasped. Shafter looked at her closing all three eyes; questioning and then it re-opened its eyes the bottom two filling up with blue and the top with black; interest.

"Maybe she read it on your uniform some…" it trailed off seeing that nowhere Jane's name was placed on the clothes she was wearing beside her Simitu suit but that was covered up. Jane sighed looking over at the blonde again. She really needed to go inside and talk with Jacobs so she nodded her head at Shafter who stepped aside allowing the other human to walk by it. She was skittish and her eyes danced all over the place, taking in the other Charkgins that walked around the ship they all greeted Jane warmly as she made her way to the communications room.

The stepped inside the room, the smell of electronics strong, the smaller woman stepped closer to Jane, grabbing her hand, scared. The captain looked down and then glanced at Shafter shrugging.

"Captain Rizz- zz – zzoli," Jacobs voice broke in and out, her image flickering. Her hair was floating all around her face and it looked like she was being lighted from below.

"Jacobs, status report." Jane's voice rang out with authority. There came a shout and a scuffle on the Commanders side of the call. Palmers face popped up,

"JANE!" he yelled, relief flooding his features.

"Professor, I'm alright but I need you to put the Commander back on," her voice was slightly softer to him. She felt the blonde squeeze her hand. Palmer nodded his head saying, _'yes, yes._'

"Actually Captain… the Professor has come to me with an Idea." Jane needed to figure out a way to save the Hapsha; she knew that no matter what, Konif would go down with the ship. Her stomach lurched at the thought. Jacobs leaned down so both her and Palmer could be seen in the call.

"Ah right! I was trying to pitch the idea to your pilot here," there came a cry from the background.

"_He's fucking crazy Jane._" Palmer continued talking as if Konif hadn't spoken.

"I feel we can do it, it's just a matter of how much we have faith-" Jane pinched the bridge of her nose. The woman brought her other hand up and placed it on Jane's upper arm, somehow Jane's anger seemed to slowly simmer, the Captain shuttered.

"_Alex…_" she dragged out, telling him to get on with it. The professor went a little pink at the use of his first name form Jane.

"We willingly go into the black hole." Jane looked up at him shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in 2100 a scientist came up with a theory; that if something has enough momentum it can whip around inside of the black hole and back out again, like rolling a marble in a bowl." Jane moved to let go of the blonde's hand, uncomfortable with so much contact but she held on tighter. When Jane looked at her; her hazel eyes were pleading. The Captain sighed again.

"Shafter…"

"_It's their best shot Jane," _Shafter hummed softly. But it couldn't stop the worry that showed through its eyes.

"_That's not all, tell her everything Professor._" Konif's voice had anger underneath it.

"Ah yes… It seems the only way of achieving the speed we need in order to do this; we have to convert all of the ships energy to the thrusters… also the shields so the gravity doesn't smash us." Finally Konif's face joined in on the call, her face was red and there was a sheen of sweat, her arms never stop moving as she multitasked.

"Jane, he's batshit cray but…. It does beat dying without a fight." The redhead deadpanned. Both Shafter and Jane stiffened at Konif's choice of words and the smaller woman softened. "I'm sorry…" Her eyes finally landed on the blonde who was looking at the Holoscreen that showed Konif, Palmer, and Jacobs. She looked confused and scared, her hand gripping Jane's upper arm. "Who's your friend?"

"I have no idea what her name is. She's from 201 Konif." The red head stilled her movements causing the ship to jerk, making her get thrown forward into the restraints around her body. "We'll talk about it when I see you again and _I will_ _see you again_." Jane stressed her words, not wanting to say goodbye to her best friend, refusing that she might never come back from this. Konif didn't say anything just smiled a grim smile and went back to work.

"Alright Jacobs update me."

"All non military personal have been successfully evacuated and the last of the escape pods are being launched now Konif, the Professor and I are staying behind to make sure this idea works. We are turning on our Simitu E.E.O's and putting all the power to the ships shields and thrusters, the only power will be Konif's dash. That's pretty much all there is too it."

"There is… one last thing." Konif looked up into the Holoscreen turning her attention to the Professor. "Due to the gravity in the black hole it is said that time itself slows down. Sadly we have no way of knowing how long it will take. To you, Jane, it will seem to take, however long it does, and to us it will pass in a matter of minutes." Jacobs face paled, knowing they only had twenty-four hours of air.

* * *

Maura was lost with the conversation, but by Jane's posture it wasn't an easy one. She caught words that she knew every now and again but most of it was gibberish. The green thing stood closer to Jane now, grabbing her other hand as the brunette spoke into an odd orange screen that showed a sad looking red head. Maura could feel Jane glancing at her every now and again, her hand a little slack in Maura's.

_She's so different from all of the other Jane's I have conjured up._

Something in the way Jane's voice got raspier and the red head whipped at her eyes and the thing started to hum made Maura think something bad was going to happen, she felt like this was a very personal moment. Trying not to draw attention to herself, she let go of Jane's hand and stepped away giving them some space. Jane looked at her, worried that she suddenly stepped away, but turned back to face the red head speaking again while Maura turned and looking out the massive window, her eyes going wide. White matter and other things were circling around one point and off in the distance Maura assumed what to be a ship was stuck in the massive swirl. Maura knew what she was looking at, her brain pointed out the facts, but her stomach still clenched at the thought.

"Uzarch lunth scheouzomp Olga, _stay safe my little firefly._" Maura spun facing Jane, finally understanding something she said, she finally spoke in English. But if was odd the way she said it. The word _little _seemed to get stuck in her throat and she held the R in _firefly_ for too long, her accent thick and odd. It wasn't quite what Maura would describe as a German accent but that was the closest description she could come up with.

* * *

Jane looked over at the blonde who suddenly let go of her hand in the middle of her conversation with Konif; she looked back at the red head finishing what she was saying.

"I love you Olga, _stay safe my little firefly._" Jane used the phrase Konifs late father always used towards Konif whenever he was shipped off. Her father being a lover of old things had searched the libraries in his youth and came across a very _very_ old English dictionary it was marked as "_Unknown literature._" He had spent weeks trying to translate the words only succeeding in a handful, but he was able to get two phrases out of it. Konif had told Jane and Shafter about it so long ago and they had adopted it whenever something terrible might happen to one of them, hoping to lift their spirits.

Jane felt the blonde spin looking at her hard, but she ignored her, focusing on her best friend who finally allowed a tear to slide down her cheek. Konif responded how she always did,

"_My light will always be on._" The redhead quickly turned off her screen, ending the call with Shafter and Jane. Jane stared at the ground for a few seconds before finally wishing Jacobs and Palmer luck and that she will keep an eye out for them. The Holoscreen's turned off, making the room a little darker. Shafter's hum was deep and low, pain seeping out of it. It let go of her hand, gripping her shoulder before leaving Jane with the other human.

* * *

Maura stared at Jane who continued looking at the ground. Tentatively Maura reached out and placed her hand slowly on Jane's shoulder who stiffened saying,

"Hark." Turning towards Maura; making it so Maura had to drop her hand. Maura stared at Jane; panic was still eating at her mind, but the presence of the brunette calming her down.

"Shavrts yigerzen larch mifpt?" The brunette asked softly. Maura just continued staring at Jane who tilted her head waiting for a response, her eye brows were knitted together and she crossed her arms. "Kiplonz tousch zesimf?" Maura just blinked at her. Jane dropped her arms, her eyes going big, understanding finally dawning on her features.

_Finally understanding that Maura had no idea what she was saying._

Maura couldn't help but smile as Jane smacked herself in the chest saying her name and then gesturing towards Maura, quickly understanding what Jane was trying to get at.

"Maura." Jane stood there looking a little stumped. Maura pointed at herself saying her name again.

"Maorrrra?" Jane's mouth had trouble forming the letters that went together. The blonde looked out the window again, nodding. Maura couldn't help but have her mind wonder in those few seconds it wasn't preoccupied.

_A little bit ago, she was ready to end the pain, end the numbness._

And now she was in some sort of weird fantasy where Jane was alive and didn't even speak the same language as her. Maura looked down at the ground hugging her, tears pooling in her eyes.

* * *

Jane watched as, who she now knew was called Maura, crumble in front of her.

_What she must be going through right now. She must be so confused and scared._

Jane was shocked to find out that Maura didn't speak her language, wondering what she did speak; the blonde not saying anything beside names. The smaller woman covered her face with soft hands, her shoulders shaking. Jane did the only thing that she knew; she pulled her into a tight hug, offering comfort to her. She knew Maura had no idea what she was saying but Jane whispered reassuring words knowing Maura would understand the meaning behind her tone.

The woman wrapped her arms around Jane's waist pulling her closer to her, sprawling her hands out along her back. Jane squeezed her around her shoulders as the small woman rested her head against Jane's chest still shaking.

* * *

_**Thum-thum thum-thum thum-thum.**_

* * *

**For the love of science and Rizzles, please tell me what you guys think about the merger chapter.**

**I am sorry that it took me so long to update, I was dealing with some stuff and had to get back into the groove of writing, harder said then done.**

**Thank you as always for reading and for reading and reviewing, it's nice hearing what you guys have to say and reading your guesses it lets me know that you're just as invested in this story like me if not more.**

**Anywho,**

**Please Take Care. -FTP**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Thum-thum thum-thum thum-thum.**_

* * *

Maura froze. The steady noise coming from Jane's chest ringed in her ears, taunting her almost. She slowly pulled away looking up into such a familiar face that was so different. She could feel her breathes getting quick, her own heart beating fast trying to keep up with her mind.

_Jane had a heart beat._

In a blink of an eye Maura's fingers were pressed firmly against Jane's neck, feeling for the proof, looking for the facts that pointed towards all of this being real. Jane looked confused, letting her hands drop from around Maura. The blonde could feel her fingers move ever so slightly with each pump from the strong muscle that sat at the center of Jane's chest.

Maura took a step back, stumbling. She fell to the floor, the heel of one of her shows snapping as it got caught in the grated floor.

"Ozomter larinf?" Jane asked, her arms going out as if she was going to catch Maura as she fell but couldn't get to her in time. Maura could feel the panic rising.

_This can't be real, how could it? _

But the woman in front of her was living proof that this was real. That going through that light passage had somehow transported her here, wherever here was. Jane leaned down, trying to help her up.

"No!" Maura shouted, shoving Jane's shoulder away from her and crawling backwards her eyes dancing around the room. There was that thing again coming into the room and looking between a fear stricken Maura and a very confused Jane. Maura's head hit the wall and she curled up into, trying to make herself invisible from this woman, this _imposter_ and that thing. Jane crouched down, until one knee was resting against the floor, her hands up palms towards Maura.

_Palms that were scar free._

Maura could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, could feel the fear prickling its way over her skin, making it erupt in goosebumps.

* * *

"Maura." Jane knew in the back of her mind that she wasn't pronouncing her name right but she tried anyways. She watched as tears starting to fall down her face. One minute they were hugging and now the woman was crying harder now. Then she opened her mouth, finally speaking in broken tones, hiccups making her repeat herself.

"You're dead. I saw you die. I WAS THERE. I WAS HOLDING YOUR HAND WHEN YOU DIED. YOU…. YOU… YOU HAUNTED ME AFTER YOUR DEATH…I saw you die." Jane had no idea what she was saying and she looked over her shoulder at Shafter all three of its eyes closed tightly; confusion.

"Maura…" That was the only word that Jane knew that Maura knew. So she repeated it, trying to calm down the crying woman. She reached out her hand but the blonde smacked it away screaming a word, while shrinking closer into the wall, her eyes wild, face red, arms wrapped around herself, knees drawn tight to her chest. With one last look at her Jane stood up walking away from her.

"Jane…" Shafter hummed when she walked by her.

"What?" She could feel her shoulders tensing, her body ready to snap.

"Would it be wise to leave her here by herself?" all three eyes half closed; worry.

"I'm going to go get her some water maybe that will calm her down." She didn't wait for Shafters reply, her boots thudding heavily against the floor, Charkgin stepping out of her way saluting her.

The door let out a soft _whoosh_ as it opened for her granting her access to the small kitchen/R&R room the Charkgin had aboard their ship. It was deathly quiet. Not another living soul in there but Jane. As her boots hit the ground the room woke up, lights turning on. It was circular, right underneath the helm, windows lining the walls giving you a perfect view of the black hole.

She walked right past the kitchen area, its chrome twinkling in the light, spotless. She walked right up to the railing, the window towering over her, her arms leaning against them, the cold biting into her flesh. She shifted her weight, one hip rising higher than the other as she let out a sigh. There off in the distance she could see it. She could see Hapsha. Her four long wings jutting out from her engines that were burning a brighter blue than she had ever seen them. The outside lights were off, in fact. She squinted her eyes trying to look into the windows that ran along the ship. All of the lights were off. She watched as asteroids smashed into the shield, blowing up into smaller pieces.

She looked over to her left, watching as bright light was being sucked into nothing. Her hand rubbed across her face, loosening the frozen muscles. She hung her head, locking her fingers behind her neck, her forehead resting on the bar. Konif was out there. Practically her sister was out there. And she was here.

_What she would give to change places with her, what she would give to protect her._

Jane took a breath, trying to calm down the rising guilt. She closed her eyes. The hum of the ship slowly fading out, the thudding sounds of the Charkgin walking above her fell into sync with her heart beat.

_Breathe in through your nose out through your mouth._

Her mind turning, racing, shuffling through memories. A smile tugged at her lips remembering the first time she had met Konif.

* * *

"_MOVE!" Jane shouted, Holotablets tucked under her arm as she full out sprinted. She was late, she was very very late. She took the steps up into the large capital building three at a time, people jumped out of her way, grumbling about her running through the marbled hall ways. Her shoes clapping against the floor with each step she took._

_Today were her final exams, today she would figure out if she could graduate high school and move on to the Orion military academy. She skidded around a corner not seeing where she was going when she crashed into someone. They fell to the floor; limbs sprawled out, Holotablets clattering to the ground._

"_Son of a." Said a high voice from underneath her._

"_Oh god, I am so sorry!" Jane rasped, quickly detangling herself. A red head sat up, glaring at her._

"_Watch it dude." Jane's face flushed at her tone._

"_I said I was sorry." She quickly grabbed the other girls Holotablets for her, handing them back. The red head slowly got to her feet, craning her neck up to look at Jane. Jane thrusted the tablets back, bending down to pick her own up._

"_Look… Sorry again… But I gotta…" Jane didn't elaborate as she bolted back down the hallway, feeling the other girl's eyes burning into her back. She skidded to a stop taking a breath right about to open the menacing oak doors when someone yelled._

"_JANE!" The read head ran down the hall, stopping right in front of her, air rushing past them both. "You gave me one of your Holotablet by accident."_

"_Oh. Thank you." Jane quickly grabbed it, the girl's voice stopping her again._

"_Good luck with your exams." Jane smiled at her before pushing through the doors just as her watch went off, telling her that her exams are starting. She barely made it._

_She had walked out of that room, exhaling loudly. She had gotten a ninety percent on it, only needing seventy to graduate and be able to attend the military academy. The lanky brunette looked down at the Holotablet that the red head had given back to her._

She knew my name_. Jane thought, clicking it on._

_There was a self note there that she didn't write._

"_Jane, I figured your name out because it says at the top." _Oh yeah. _"But there's this party tonight in honor of graduation and I think you owe me a better apology than that. Come? Hang out?" –Olga Konif._

* * *

Jane stood up again, facing the window. She had gone to the party, the little red head looping her arm though Jane's as soon as she saw her, telling her that she was wearing such cute shoes. They hit it off instantly, they spent all night ignoring everyone else, sitting in a corner, rolling with laughter. They had been best friends ever since. Her eyes scanned out over the wobbling lights and flying rocks, spotting Hapsha again. It looked odd to her; it looked like it was being stretched. She could tell that the cockpit was just reaching the edge of the where all the matter suddenly disappeared, the edge of the black hole. They seemed to be frozen in time, Jane could only wonder what it was like were Konif was. She sighed again, pushing off of the railing heading to the sink.

* * *

Maura rested her head against her drawn up knees, crying. How could this be real? How could any of this be real? Her hands gripped her scalp, nails digging into her flesh. Her head throbbed from where she had hit it against that wall when she was…

_Was what?_ Maura thought through her dying down sobs. She closed her eyes remembering the feeling of being pressed through whatever it was that she was forced through. Maura felt someone standing a little bit away from her and she curled up harder, trying to make herself invisible, trying to make herself forgotten.

"Icht mzarnf." The voice hummed. It fluxed and bounced around the room they were in. In the back of Maura's mind she knew she heard that voice before. Slowly she lifted her head, looking at the thing standing a few feet back at her. Its blue eyes were doing something, they were changing colors. Wisps of green danced out from away the pupil. Its third eye closed, the lid making it disappear, blending in with the color of its skin. It took a soft step towards her, its boots scraping against the ground. Maura's eyes darted around and she exhaled, scared at what it was doing.

It rose its hands up, showing her the sign "_I'm not going to hurt you."_ The holes in its neck slowly started to close, it not making any fast movements, trying not to startle her. Maura's breathing hitched when it finally opened a hidden mouth, taking another step closer to her. Her eyes danced around the things face. A second ago there was no mouth, but now here it was. She could see pointed teeth jutting out of gums, a paste looking tongue moving up and down swallowing saliva. The thing didn't have any lips that Maura could see. Slowly, the thing lowered itself in front of her, sitting with its legs crossed, its knees jutting out. With the holes still closed in its throat the thing appeared to be holding its breath, leaving its mouth open slightly.

_It's trying to make me more comfortable…_ The thought suddenly struck Maura. Her eyes moved down quickly, seeing it reach in its pocket pulling something out of it. It was a small kit a red symbol on the top of it. The thing was a few inches in front of her and it dropped its eyes looking down at the kit, opening the lid with its long fingers. There was suddenly a loud humming noise. Maura looked back down at the things neck, the holes were open again, but this hum sounded different, it sounded louder and deeper than when it talked.

It lifted something in its hand, pointing at Maura's cut on her head. Its eyes changed, opening the third one back up, changing the color back to blue and half closed its lids. Maura watched with fascination, her mind seeming to forget that she was aboard a ship in the middle of space. Her tongue flicked out, biting her lower lip thinking. Slowly she moved forward, sitting crossed legged also, their knees just touching. She let her hands drop inside her lap. The thing's hum grew louder as it slowly, not trying to scare her, dabbed at the cut. She scrunched her face at the sharp pain that ran through her body but didn't say anything. As the thing worked she looked at its other hand, sitting on top of what she would guess to be a thigh. She reached her hand out, before stopping herself and pulling back.

The thing stopped its movements, watching the internal battle Maura was having. It lifted its hand placing it palm up on her knee, going back to work with its other. Like a child on Christmas, Maura grabbed it. She was careful, not wanting to hurt the thing in front of her that was showing her such kindness. She flipped the hand over and over in her own, studying it. Its skin was a pale green but there was something else to it. She lifted it, letting the harsh white light from the ceiling shine down on it better. As she moved it back and forth it shimmered with blue. She squinted looking closer. She ran her thumb over where she was looking at feeling them.

_Scales._

This thing was covered in scales. As she looked back up at its face she could see them. They were tiny and made it look like it had normal skin. The holes in its neck wobbled as it sucked in air. Her eyes were drawn back down to its hand, thin webbing stretched between each of its three fingers. The space between its thumb and pointer finger was able to stretch a little bit past the length of her thumb to pinky finger, making the webbing curve and form a half dome shape that was finished with the other web that ran between its pointer finger and middle.

"You're a marine based species." Maura suddenly found herself saying. She looked up into the things eyes. "It's fascinating that your fingers have more than three joints, not to mention the face that your arm has two elbows." She stretched its arm out. As if understanding what she wanted to see the thing folded its arm, making a square shape with it. It let its arm stretch out fully again before turning it. The section between the two elbows turned, allowing its forearm to turn also. It's hand did a 360. Maura let out a laugh staring at the arm.

"With the ability to turn your hand three-hundred and sixty degrees must be truly something when you are in water." She looked at the things arm longer, bending it this way and that. It took her a few minutes to realize that it was done cleaning up her wound. She let go of its hand with a soft "_oh"_ her mind no longer distracted with the anatomy with the thing sitting in front of her it started to turn. She could feel the panic start to settle in. Of course her mind would conjure up a species she would be fascinated with.

_But this is real_. Maura thought to herself. She was divided, torn. Half of her was able to accept this, was able to accept the freaky possibility that she was somehow transported to this place and Jane was very much alive. But the other half of her was screaming, was lashing out, trying to get her to wake up, and trying to get her to be able to go back to her home.

_Maybe I did kill myself… and this is my afterlife._

Maura's scientific mind yelled at her, calling her stupid. There was no such thing as an afterlife, no such thing as a happy ending. Movement caught her eye. She looked up as the thing ducked its head, trying to catch her eye. It placed its hand against its chest and spoke again.

"Shafter." It gestured to Maura, who promptly replied with,

"Maura."

_Shafter? Maybe it wasn't asking for my name._ But her mind went back in time to when she was standing in that room with Jane and she had first seen the thing. Jane had said something; in the mix of sounds she had remembered hearing the word Shafter. Maybe that was its name.

"Maura?" It said her name perfectly, no sense of an accent except for the humming. She smiled, feeling a little odd at talking to this thing.

"Shafter," it seemed to hum louder at the sound of its name. "I know you don't understand me. It seems no one can, but thank you for fixing my head injury." She pointed at the now bandaged wound on her head to show it what she was talking about.

"Maura, Itsl zarfimph." It hummed back at her. Maura smiled her eye was drawn to the window behind Shafter's head. The ship had turned again, giving her a good view of what was outside.

* * *

Shafter watched as the smile on Maura's face fall, her face grew into a grimace, her pupils dilating. Her shoulders drew up as she wrapped her arms around her body, bringing her knees up again. Shafter didn't know what Maura was say, but this it knew. It could feel Maura's rising panic, feel her fear radiating off of her. It did the only thing that it could think off.

* * *

The hum coming from Shafter's chest grew louder and it made Maura's racing mind freeze. Her eyes were drawn to its, no longer looking out the window where the black hole sat, staring at her, mocking her. Her shoulders slowly fell, the tense muscles relaxing, her eyelids drooping. She felt her head loll forward, her forehead resting on her knees. Off in the distance she heard the sound of footsteps but sleep took over her. She didn't remember hitting the ground.

* * *

Jane paused as the door opened walking in just as Maura slumped over, Shafter catching her. She almost dropped the glass of water as the humming reached her ears, her knees giving out for a second before she could catch herself. The Charkgin were able to reach amazing pitches with their voices, but what was most impressive was the one that made Humans fall asleep almost instantly. Shafter had used it on Konif when her father had died, helping her get rid of the nightmares by staying up all night, humming to her.

"Shafter…" Jane said softly, the humming stopping. A rush of blood was sent to her head making her ears ring before clearing.

"I'm sorry Jane," Shafter was standing next to her grabbing the water out of her hands. "She was distracted by me for a few minutes but something changed and I was afraid that she would hurt herself." Jane glanced over at the blonde woman who was lying on her side on the ground, her legs curved, and her arms lying next to her.

"Jane, you are bleeding." Jane brought her hand up to her neck pulling away seeing red. Shafter walked over to Maura, grabbing the kit, while Jane leaned against the railing waiting. Her friend cleaned up the cut quickly, trying to keep busy. Jane's hand grabbing onto its shoulder made it freeze.

"She'll be alright Shaf…" The alien didn't say anything just started putting things away. Jane ran a hand over her hair sighing. "We should start rounding up the escape pods and give relief to them. Do you think you can go up to the cock pit and have them send a message to all of your ships? We don't have enough room for everyone but we should get hurt people, if there are any, aboard to help them." Shafter nodded casting a look back at Maura. "Don't worry about her; I'll take her up to one of the crew beds."

"Alright, see you in a bit." Shafter walked out, the door emitting a soft _woosh_ as it closed behind the tall Charkgin. Jane walked over to Maura, fiddling with her Simitu suits options, making sure it would aid her in picking up the blonde. But as she bent down, carefully slipping her arm under her knees and shoulder, she stood up fast.

_Lighter than I thought._ Jane walked slowly, not wanting to jar the sleeping woman. Her head was resting against her shoulder, her breaths even and controlled, much different than when she had felt Jane's pulse. Jane looked back down at the blonde, who sighed in her sleep. Her makeup was smudged from her crying and Jane marveled at it. Makeup on this woman was beautiful, now a day's people plastered it on. She had worn it, along with Konif, when they had to go to formal military occasions and they got looked at by the other woman, disgusted that they wore so little.

But the way the eye shadow curved along her lid blending in with her natural color. The dark eyes made her sharp nose softer looking, not dominating her face. Reddish blonde hair flowed along Jane's arm, curling here and there. Jane looked up as she turned the corner, coming to the crew sleeping quarters. Beds were built into the walls, the hallway stretching down them. The beds were longer than a Human needed, the Charkgin having to make everything bigger because of their size. Picking a mat in the far back of the hall, not wanting anyone to wake Maura, she carefully laid her down, her head falling daintily against the pillow. She bent over, grabbing the shoes that were on Maura's feet. _High __heels? Well there's something we finally have in common. _She let them both fall the floor, one of them broken. Jane stood up walking over to the closet and grabbed two blankets, one would be enough, but she didn't know what Maura liked. She laid the soft blanket over the sleeping woman, making sure her feet and torso were covered. Ships were always cold no matter how hard you tried to keep them warm due to the coldness of space always pressing against them.

She tucked the other one between Maura and the wall, slowly pulling back, but something stopped her; a hand clasping onto her arm, holding onto tightly. She looked up into hazel eyes that poured so much fear out of them. A small tear leaked out of one eye, slowly trailing down her face, getting lost in her hair.

"I know you're not real and I know that when I wake up you'll be gone, all of this will be gone… But… _I don't want it to be," _Maura's voice cracked and her eye lids drooped. Jane watched as Maura fell asleep again. The way Maura's voice sounded so hurt and how that tear had escaped. Jane could put together that what Maura said was important, maybe even hurtful. She waited a few minutes, stuck in her bent over position, before slowly pulling her arm out of Maura's grasp. She pulled the curtains closed before turning around and heading towards the cockpit.

* * *

Jane's boots thudded with authority, being the highest ranking military officer aboard the ship. But Jane didn't use her rank to over throw the Charkgin that seemed to be in charge. They started to swing around, connecting with the other seven Charkgin ships that were floating out in space, all receiving orders to open communication channels with the escape pods, seeing if anyone was hurt. Shafter stood next to Jane, translating when needed. But the operation seemed to be moving smoothly. She threw an occasional glance out of the massive windows, spotting Hapsha. It was odd only being able to only see half of the ship the rest being plunged into the black hole. There was still that odd way were it looked like it was being stretched.

The Captain chewed on her lip, looking down at her Omnicuff, wanting to call Konif. Her mind raced with what could possibly be going on inside of Wing A. She shut her eyes trying to stop the image of a lifeless redhead swam to her mind's eye. She rather felt then saw the green light on her Omnicuff click on. Swiping her finger across it Officer Carlson's face appeared. He saluted her and waited for her to salute back before speaking.

"Good to see that you made it out of the science lab OK Captain Rizzoli."

"I can say the same to you. Do you have any hurt with you?"

"No I don't but, Dr. Veronica White is aboard with me…," he paused looking at something down on the ground. "She said she found this out in the hallway." He pointed his cuff down at a greenish brown shell of some sort.

"What is that?"

"We have no idea. But we looked at where the shell opens up and there are two arms and a head. We think it's an animal that may have come through the portal…" he paused again, not knowing if he should ask. "Permission to speak freely ma'am?"

"Granted."

"Veronica says you and a woman were shot out into space. Is that true?" Jane cleared her throat speaking.

"Are you alone Officer?" She saw as he stood up and walked away from the group of people, she waited, watching the background behind his rugged face change. "Yes. A woman did come through. So far all we are able to figure out is that her name is Maura. I don't want you telling anyone else, I want to keep this under wraps as long as possible. We already have enough on our plates." She then filled him in on what was going on with Hapsha, telling him to spread the word. She hung up with him, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Do you think the Orion Fleet will force you to come home when you tell them about Maura? I'm sure regulation insists that you call them immediately," Shafter hummed. Jane thought back to Maura's sleeping face being contorted into pain as the Orion fleets scientists poked and prodded at her.

"Right now, I don't give a damn about regulation. I just want to wait this entire thing out and keep Maura a secret." Shafter nodded telling her that that is understandable.

* * *

Maura woke to the sound of someone talking. It was deep and raspy, but soft as if they weren't trying to wake her. She slowly opened her eyes. She was lying down in a soft bed, a blanket on top of her. The area that the bed was built into was large and a curtain was drawn closed on her right. That's where the voice was coming from.

Slowly she lifted it open and saw Jane stand up, turning her back to the blonde, using the wall to brace herself as she kicked off her shoes. She was speaking in a whisper. The language was harsh, the words long and drawn out. Maura could just make out the face of Shafter in one of those weird orange frames that she saw earlier. Jane seemed to end the conversation, the hallway she was standing in dimmed a little as the screen disappeared. She heard the brunette sigh heavily then her eyes grew wide. Jane started to undress. First pulling off the black jacket she was wearing, tossing it into the bed opposite of the blondes. She pulled her shirt off letting it fall to the floor before dropping her pants. She was wearing a full body suit of some sort; it was a dark grey giving off a purple sheen. Instead of the long raven locks that Maura's eyes were used to, Jane's hair stopped just past her shoulder.

Jane slipped her left arm out of the sleeve and then she carefully maneuvered her right out of the sleeve, letting the top part fall loosely around her waist. Maura's eyes were drawn to the slim silver cuff the encased Jane's right forearm. She had seen it earlier, her fascination peeked. However, her eyes got wider if possible, there along Jane's back, large, puffy scars ran the length of them. The major one looked like someone just took a steak knife to her flesh.

_They look like someone whipped her._

Maura's historical part of her mind raced, gasping a little. _Do they whip people here? _Her eyes racked over the strong back, pausing at the bra buckle, her mind thinking about all those times she undid Jane's in the month of their dating. Her stomach lurched and she let the curtain fall, rolling over on her side.

* * *

Jane stopped moving, her ears picking up a soft sound. She wasn't sure what it was but it almost sounded like a gasp. Jane knew she had her back towards where Maura was sleeping, her scars in full view. But when she looked over her shoulder the curtain was still closed. Jane stared at the curtain a second longer before grabbing some lotion Shafter had found and started to put it on her back. After a few years with these scars Jane's reach had improved, almost able to get all of the scars with the lotion now. It helped release the tight skin around them, making the pain go away. When she was done she pulled the Simitu suit back up and slipped into the bed, leaning over and grabbing her pants and shirt. She left the curtains open, thinking that if Maura did wake up she could just look out and see Jane sleeping there, not wanting to worry her.

It had been six hours since they had came aboard the Charkgin ship, trying to get aid to as many people as possible. Jane even went to other ships, her presence calming people after the rumor that she was sucked into the vacuum of space spread like wild fire. Jane had been leaning against the railing in the cock pit, yawning and nodding off. Being awake for eighteen hours straight not helping her racing mind; Shafter had forced Jane out of the cockpit telling her to go to sleep.

But sleep never found Jane.

* * *

Konif clicked out of the video chat with Jane and Shafter, wiping the tears away. She could hear Jane's raspy voice in the call with the short little Professor and the Commander but didn't care to listen. Instead she distracted her mind with shutting down systems along Hapsha.

"Deary, are you alright?" said a high voice. The Professor was standing next to her chair, worry on his face.

"Yeah," her voice cracked so she cleared it trying again. "Yeah… I just want to get this over with ya know?" she felt Commander Jacobs walk up to her left.

"Indeed I do know," said the little man.

Konif stilled her movements looking out the massive window, Jacobs and Palmer following suit.

"_We're really doing it then?" _she whispered, more to herself than to them. A hand squeezed her left shoulder, the Commander finally speaking up.

"Get the ship ready pilot. I want to get this over with." Palmer rocked on his feet. They listened as the sound of energy being turned off throughout the ship, making an eerie, _dvvvv_, sound. Finally, lights turned off out on the bottom floor of Wing A, casting it into darkness, then the lights where they were, making the man gasp a little and finally the first floor. All three humans stilled as the ship became a ghost, the sound of Palmer shifting echoed throughout the large empty room, bouncing back to them making it seem like someone else was one board. Palmers face looked older and ghoulish because of the strange glow of Konif's screens.

"_Commander, I think you'll have to be the one that goes and turns off the gravity."_ The darkness of the ship making Konif lower her voice.

"Right, while I'm at it I think I know where some space suits are." There was no need for space suits aboard the Hapsha, their Simitu suits providing them with air and an environment long enough for them to fix anything outside.

"_If you think you can find some, that'll take a load of stress off of my back._" She heard the sound of Jacobs light steps fade out as she headed over to the elevator. Konif's hands flew over the controls, guiding Hapsha into the spiral of light that was being swallowed up by nothing. She made sure the ship was perfectly lined up, before turning the throttles. She watched as the meter passed their normal cruising speed, then their normal cryosleep speed and then into the red zone. Sensors turned on, flashing red and telling her _"Warning warning warning."_ The ship started to shake, letting out a groaning noise as the speed threatened to rip it apart. Konif shut the massive shutters over the windows, not wanting to take any chances. Small Holoscreen's showed up at her station instead of spanning out over the dark windows, trying to save power.

"_Let's get this over with."_

* * *

***rolls around on the floor becuase of all of my feels* I love it when you guys guess and throw in your own idea and talk to me about how I can't kill off Palmer or Konif. It makes my day. I read every single review and grin like an idiot when you guess put in your feelings.**

**It makes me feel that you guys are just as invested with this story and the characters as i am!**

**So! If you want to spew out all of your feelings towards reading this or ideas please lay them on me!**

**Thank you everyone who reads and Thank you everyone who reads and reviews!**

**~By the by~ The next chapter is going to be all aboard the Hapsha, maybe going back to the Chargkin ship where Shaf, Maur, and Jane are at the end. But... yeah. heads up.**

**okokok, stop talking now.**

**Take Care! -FTP**


	12. Chapter 12

Jane rubbed her hand over her face, feeling Maura standing next to her. She lowered her hand, staring at the black body bag as it passed the two of them, being pulled into the elevator to be taken down to the medbay. The body would be prepared there before they gave a service. The brunette felt numb, the presence of Shafter humming, trying to calm people not working on her own nerves.

* * *

Konif made sure that the thrusters were locked into place, the meter dancing in the red zone.

"_Warning, not enough power to support-"_

"Ah, shut up." The pilot said, clicking off Andi's over head voice.

"Are the thrusters able to handle all of this heat?" Palmer asked in his odd voice.

"Yeah. If they're able to use light speed I'm pretty sure that they can handle this." Konif sighed, locking out the controls.

"Hapsha has light speed?" he asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Sure do. But Captain Rizzoli doesn't like to use it, too much risk. You know, with not really knowing where you'll end up. We keep it under lock and only use it for emergencies. "

"I see." She heard him turn and shuffle away as she continued to monitor the ship. Glancing over her shoulder she saw that Palmer was standing in front of the air passageway, the door open, air rushing by made his hair dance a little; the soft blue light from the tube shining on his face making it easier to see him.

"Watcha doin?"

"I was thinking, if we, by chance, need to stay in here longer than twenty-four hours, well, could we stay in the Air passage way?" Konif's smile was sad.

"We can't Professor. The air get's shut off just like it does all over the ship when the Commander turns it off. Good idea though." He made a soft noise, closing the doors again. The click of them shutting echoed throughout the H.C.C.

"Weird isn't it," he explained seeing Konif's raised eyebrows. "The H.C.C. when no one is up here." The redhead leaned back in her chair; looking through her Holoscreen's and out over the pitch black bottom floor.

"Yeah it is. I like it better when people are actually down there… or if the lights are on." He smiled at her. "Professor, why did you stay?" she suddenly asked. The little man glanced at her before shrugging again.

"For the glory of course!"

"Glory?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Think about it pilot, if Hapsha doesn't come out of this black hole, all three of our names will forever be remembered! Oh! The fame!" He dramatically raised his hands making Konif laugh. "In all seriousness my dear, I have nothing left to live for. I have lived a very full life and I want to offer my assistance to you."

"Thank you," she said looking at his profile before turning back towards the screens, clicking her gloved hand against her armrest waiting for Jacobs to speak to her. She looked down at her hand, playing with the gloves. _Is this how Dad felt?_ Konif thought, fear turning in her stomach as the thought of her father pressed on her mind. He had willingly given his life to protect the rest of his squad from the pressing forces of the Olnich. She could have gone on one of the escape pods had evacuated like everyone else and watched the Hapsha be torn apart as the black beast ate it. But as soon as Palmer told her that they might be able to save the ship, she was ready.

"They say that you know when you're going to die." Konif spoke softly, looking over at Palmer who was standing silently next to her. The little man glanced at her before speaking.

"I had a daughter once. She died, in child birth."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." The professor shrugged his shoulders continuing.

"I was on my way to the hospital where she was, high on my endorphins if you will. But as I was going there I felt this, glow inside of me like I was on top of the world." Konif noticed his eyes mist over as he got lost in the memory. "But, just like that," he snapped his fingers. "It vanished. I knew. I knew that my daughter was gone same with her child." Konif thought back to when she was walking down the hallway with Jane in the academy when something had made her stop, making her freeze, only later on finding out that her father had died. "But," Konif was pulled out of her thoughts when Palmer spoke again. "I do not feel that now. Maybe we'll get lucky." She smiled at him.

"If we get out of here Professor, I owe you a drink." He let out a wheezy laugh.

"I will be most pleased to share one with you."

Smiling she sat forward moving her hands across her station before a massive orange screen popped up, a map of Hapsha. She could practically feel Palmer's eyes go wide.

"Impressive isn't it?" The little man nodded his head, looking at all of the hidden passages and escape routes that he didn't know about. The redhead swiped her hand across it, flipping through floor after floor until finally spotting a blue dot that was blinking softly, moving down a hallway in Wing D.

"Ah, Wing D. I'm very fond of that wing. Nice and quite; not to mention the garden that's down there, very nice to walk through." Palmer said. Konifs face paled her stomach rolling.

"Palmer move," she managed to get out, bolting out of her chair and running to the nearest trash shut. Palmer jogged over, grabbing her hair and rubbing her back soothingly as the pilot retched. She straightened up, wiping her mouth and breathing heavily.

"Sorry about that…"

"Nonsense, I have been feeling like doing that for some time now. I fear that we are only going to get worse before it gets better." The red head nodded grimly. They walked back over to her chair slowly; she stood behind it fighting nausea. They watched as the dot suddenly stopped in the middle of the hall and stayed frozen.

"What is she doing?" Konif asked, watching as the dot slowly blinked indicating that the Commander had stopped walking.

"Maybe she found the space suits?" Palmer guessed.

There came a crackle from her station a soft green light blinked. Confused Konif clicked it; Jacobs voice came out of a speaker, breaking in parts.

"_I tri-bzzt-ed to c-call you ov-ver my Omnicuff, b-b-but it woul-buuu-dn't get through."_

"I think the black hole is the cause of that deary," Palmer said. Jacobs talked as if she didn't hear the Professor.

"_I could only f-grrrg-ind o-o-one su-bbbzt-it."_ Konif groaned.

"Remind me to force Jane to get more of those later on," she whispered to Palmer. "Well Commander, one's better then fucking none. Where is it? If anything I'd like to have it for the professor over here." Palmer scoffed at her as she joked about his age.

"_Brrrr-it's in st-or-orage room twen-geerzt-ty four, W-wing-bzt D."_

"Alright. What's the situation with the gravity, you gunna head over there now? We need more power."

"_Th-th-that's wher-bbburrr-e I am now-w-w." _

"What?"

"_I said –bbbzttt- t-t-that's where I am no-gruur-w." _Konif's eyes went from the blue dot to Palmers worried face. She quickly sat down in her chair, her nausea forgotten. Swiping the screen going to look at the engine room, sure enough there was a red light blinking there indicating that someone else was in the engine room.

"But if you're there, who the hell is in Wing D?" Konif asked.

"_S-s-some one's in W-bbbrrrr-ing D-D-D?"_ Jacobs shocked voice came through.

"That's what the map says." Konif pulled up Wind D's map alongside the engine room's one looking at both lights. Jacobs next words were too scrabbled for Konif and Palmer to understand.

"Hold on Hailey. I'm gunna see if I can clear this up." Palmer looked back up at the screens were Wing D map was. He looked hard at the dot, his heart pounding. Closing his eyes he felt the twist of his stomach. The small man gulped trying to stop the need to throw up. His bones ached, as if something were tugging on them from all directions.

"Konif, I am more than willing to go down to Wing D and see who that is." Konif glanced at him, her hands moving over the controls.

"Palmer, I would feel better if you stayed here. I'll go take a look." He nodded; silently relived that Konif was going. "How's that Commander?" she asked.

"_Much better, now it doesn't sound like you're talking through a shoe."_

"The professor is going to stay here while I go down and check out what's going on with Wind D."

"_All right. I'll give you a few minutes before shutting off the power. Make sure you have your sonic pistol out; I don't want anything to happen. We're already in a shit storm. You have five minutes Pilot." _Konif stood up, placing her hands on the Professors shoulders pushing him into her chair.

"You stay here and keep us both updated on what's going on."

"I thought you can't speak through your Omnicuff?"

"We can't with the black hole interfering but," she reached down, grabbing something. "I can use this and just connect it to the Hapsha's communication channel." She held up a small black bud, putting it in her ear.

"Very old school Pilot Konif." Palmer smiled at her as she tapped his shoulder before turning. She walked briskly, hopping up the stairs, pounding her fist into the elevator call button.

"Can you hear me?" she asked as she stepped into the elevator.

"_Quite well actually,"_ came the Professors high voice. She swiped her thumb over the smooth metal of her Omnicuff without looking. She heard the soft click and hiss of the metal as it opened, allowing the sonic pistol slide out, _eeeeing _as it charged.

Her breath caught in her chest as the doors silently opened, revealing a long dark hallway, a small section of it lighting up from the elevator. Her military training kicked in. Raising her Cuff, light spilled out of it, reflecting off of the walls. She shined it to her left and then right, making sure the hallway was clear before fully stepping out, the doors closing behind her stopping the warm flow of its lights.

"_Alright I'm here; you can tell the Commander that she can turn off the gravity. Don't forget to strap yourself in Palmer," _she whispered, her soft footsteps echoing down the hall and bouncing back to her.

"_Commander, Konif says that you may now turn off the gravity. Konif, the dot still isn't moving, it's just down the hall from you, around the bend," _Palmer said in her ear. She waited for Jacobs to turn off the gravity before going any further and looking, not wanting to be caught off guard by the sudden change. "_Konif, the Commander told me to tell you to turn on your E.E.O. She is also turning off the air, applying all power to the engines." _Konif looked down at her right arm, she knew she had to time this right otherwise, she won't have enough oxygen. The ship groaned and the soft hum in the background started to get softer as the gravity slowly shut off in sections of the ship. Konif closed her eyes as she felt herself become lighter, her feet floating off of the ground, her hair lifting up. A wheezy laugh sounded in her ear.

"_My word! This is extraordinary!"_

"_I take it this is your first time in zero-G?" _Konif asked preparing herself. She took a deep breath and felt it. It was very subtle, almost impossible to detect but she felt the air on her face disappear. She held her breath as long as she could, pushing herself forward, slowly exhaling. "_Why yes it is, I awoke in my quarters, not the Cryo hall. Dr. Peirce kept me asleep, thinking it would shock my system. Oh how I wish he could see me now!" _The man laughed again.

When her lungs were at the point of inverting on themselves she quickly turned on her E.E.O gasping as air filled her body. She was covered in a soft blue bubble, it protected her from the loss of air and if needed space.

"_Yeah, I kinda wish I could see you. How are the power levels?" _She heard the Professor breath out.

"_It appears that it's no longer flashing red."_ Konif rubbed her face. She was slowly making her way down the hall, seeing the bend up ahead.

"_Listen to me Alex we need it to be flashing red; that means that we're going fast enough. Look, do you see the automatic thrusters? I was using them earlier."_

"_I am no pilot Konif!" _Palmer practically yelled in her ear. She cringed, stilling herself.

"_You need to do this. I just want you to slowly move them forward until Andi tells you that there's not enough energy to keep up the demand. I want you to stop just as it starts to speak. Do you think you can do that?"_

"_I will try."_ She held her breath waiting. Suddenly the ship started to shake violently, her body moving back a little bit, as the ship picked up speed. She grabbed the railing, making sure her mass matched the speed of the ship.

"_Is the ship supposed to be shaking so hard?"_ Palmer's worried voice asked.

"_Yeah, you're fine, just keep it up. Remember, as soon as Andi speaks stop."_ She shined her Omnicuff down the hall where she had come before pointing it were she needed to go.

"_OK, OK, I've stopped, but the ship slows every time I take my hand off of the throttle." _Konif could feel sweat dance off her neck, the ship was cold but she felt like she was sitting next to a sun.

"_You need to lock them in place. There's a Holo button next to them. It kinda looks like an almond. Just press it and they should lock."_ She gripped her stomach, closing her eyes waiting for the Professors response.

"_They're locked,"_ his voice was full of relief, no longer in charge of the massive ship.

"_Congrats Palmer, you just flew you're very first battle ship. I've already made sure that Hapsha is on a direct flight path into that thing, but I'll still have to be up there when we actually enter it. But you should be fine for now." _She pulled herself forward, floating to the floor. She gripped the grates with her fingers pushing herself forward her Omnicuff ahead of herself.

Konif felt off, the plug in her ear made one of her ears deaf, but her good ear couldn't help as it picked up a scraping sound behind her. She whipped around, light flashing behind her. She swirled it this way and that, panting, her heart pounding in her chest. She already hated the dark but now she was hearing things. She tried to calm down, seeing nothing behind her. She looked up, the bend was still a little bit away, and so she pushed off only turning when she knew nothing was behind her. The windows reflected the light from her Cuff. They were creepy with the plates over them, blocking out the view of space and replacing it was dark red metal.

"_How's our friend?" _she asked Palmer, glancing behind herself.

"_He still seems to be there."_

"_It's odd though. Who would disobey an opportunity to evacuate?" _Jacob's voice flittered through her ear piece, no doubt standing next to Palmer now.

"_No idea,"_ Konif whispered back now reaching the bend. She slowly came around it pointing her Omnicuff out. She couldn't help herself, she burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha, you guys, it's a rat. There's a rat just floating here!" She said, stopping herself in front of the squirming animal.

"_A rat? How the hell did a rat get aboard the Hapsha?" _The commander asked. Palmer answering her.

"_Dr. Charles had a few, running tests on them if I recall correctly."_

"Well as long as this little shit is the cause of the extra light, I feel much better." Then she heard it again, a shuffle. It was odd, like someone walking, scrapping there foot behind them. She turned around again, slower, shinning her light, coming empty handed again. "You guys are sure there's no one else down here besides me and Mr. Cuddles?" She asked her heart pounding.

"_Konif…. The rat isn't the extra light,"_ came Jacobs's voice.

"W-what do you mean?" She couldn't stop the fear that laced her voice.

"_The light is gone Konif. It just faded out." _The redhead turned around, the floating animal no longer there. She felt the sweat bead out of her forehead, the small liquid floated away, causing a shutter to pass through her body.

"The fucking rat isn't here either." She looked around herself, making sure it hadn't floated away from her.

"_Olllllllgggaaa," _something whispered past her, making the hair floating against her neck move. She whipped around, shinning her Omni light everywhere, her sonic pistol charging.

"Who's there?!" she shouted into the darkness of the empty hall.

"_Who are you talking to Konif? There's no one else in the hallway with you." _Jacobs said in her ear bud.

"_I'm over here my little firefly."_ Fear wove its way up her spine as she slowly turned around where that voice had spoken. There standing in the hallway, not floating, was her Father. His hair was cut close to his scalp, a little gray at his temples, his eyes a dark grey just like hers. Her heart pounded in her chest, taking in his appearance. He was clad in his formal uniform, his medals decorating his chest.

"Dad?" she asked, her voice broke as she spoke the word.

He smiled at her, his body vanishing and then re-appearing a few feet away; slowly he disappeared and re-appeared, farther each time until she couldn't see him anymore.

"_Konif? What's going on? The dots back but it's moving away from you." _Konif ignored the words in her ear, dashing after her father.

* * *

Jane turned, Maura moving out of her way, but staying close. She slowly walked through the silent working people, trying to get Hapsha cleaned up. Shafter's arm brushed her own and she heard the blonde staying close. She paused turning slightly, offering her hand knowing how overwhelmed the woman must be. Maura quickly grabbed it, gripping hard trying to keep calm.

* * *

"Konif… Konif!" Jacobs yelled into the intercom, only receiving static. They watched as the blue light of Konif raced after the green of the unknown person.

"It seems they are going into the garden." Palmer's face grew white as both dots suddenly disappeared. "Olga!" He couldn't stop himself from yelling, getting the same silence as the Commander. They stared at the map, saying nothing, willing for either of the dots to come back on, indicating that there was indeed life. After a few minutes Jacobs spoke up.

"I'm going down there Palmer." He heard the click and hiss as her Omnicuff opened, allowing the sonic pistol to come out. The professor looked up at her, scared. "You'll be alright Alex. Just watch my back." She put an ear bud in her ear and then floated over to the Air Passage way. He heard her mumble before she went inside the tube.

"God this is going to be a bitch to get through without air." The glass doors hiss closed behind her, leaving Palmer alone in the massive room. The Holoscreen's the only things offering up light. He shifted, trying to sink down into the chair hoping it would make him feel better. But the blackness pressed on him.

He turned his attention towards the Holographs that showed the outside. All he could see was more black, but at the corner he saw a few flickers of white. They were entering the mouth of the beast, Konif needed to be here. He looked up at the massive map of Hapsha as a red dot flickered on, just at the edge of the screen in the Air Passageway.

"There's still no sign of them Commander." Palmer said looking at where the garden would be. Jacobs voice came out in huffs as she attempted to push herself forward, barely gaining purchase against the slippery sides of the tube.

"_When_ _I find Konif I'm going to kill her myself_." Palmer didn't reply just trying to keep focused on what was happening and not the creaking of the ship.

* * *

Jacobs finally pulled herself out of the tube, floating around slowly in the empty dark hallway catching her breath. She shined her light in the direction of the gardens, pushing herself down the hall. Her breaths bounced off the walls making it feel like someone was behind her, but she knew it was just a trick of the structure of the hall. But she couldn't help it as goosebumps spread up her arms.

"Konif told you that the ship was already set on a path right?" she asked, pushing lose hair out of her face.

"_Yes she did. But she also said that she would still need to be up here in case something went wrong."_ Jacobs laughed, trying to lighten the mood. The darkness of the hall making her eyes dance around.

"Nah, I think you got it."

"_Deary, I think I would rather have a heart attack than fly this ship. I don't know how Olga does it. Very impressive indeed."_ Jacobs agreed, keeping a steady speed.

"_What a slut._" Jacobs froze. She knew that voice. The deepness of it, the gruffness of it, and the way it always made a rage spread throughout her chest.

"_I'm glad I was able to teach her a lesson."_ She swallowed, trying to wet her suddenly dry throat. Closing her eyes for a second she opened them, pushing herself around firing her sonic pistol without aiming first.

A blue sonic blast erupted from her pistol, hitting the wall causing a black scorch mark, smoke disappearing. Jacobs panted, her cuff still raised.

"_You missed me, just like you did last time."_

"I KILLED YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Jacobs screamed, firing again at nothing. She froze as she felt a hand brush her neck someone whispering into her ear.

"_Is that why you're in the military? So you wouldn't have to go to jail. You know you wouldn't last a second in there, they'd eat you up."_ Jacobs swung her elbow, trying to catch the man in the solar plexus, but she yelped as it hit the metal wall, sending pain through her whole arm. Palmer buzzed in her ear, trying to gain her attention but she ignored him. Light flickered in the corner of her eye and she fired again.

* * *

Jane squeezed the blondes hand back and tried to ignore the looks from people. She needed to make an official announcement about all of this, but now, it was a time to morn. There came a cry from the second floor just as Jane, Maura, and Shafter stopped at the first floor's railing, looking over the awake H.C.C.

* * *

Palmer froze all of his movements, the tapping of his foot, his eyes looking around and his heavy breathing, shock paralyzing him. The red dot vanished. The professor gripped his stomach. Quickly he un-hooked himself out of the straps going over to the garbage shut. There was no air to suck his vomit down, but it was better than letting it float around in the cockpit.

He wiped his brow on his sleeve, the moister just sliding against the blue shield that his Simitu suit produced. He sighed turning around, stopping himself before he could float forward.

"_He looks just like you doesn't he Dad?" _His daughter was kneeling down on one knee, her arm wrapped around the waist of a tiny boy who was shyly looking up at him.

"_I wook just wike you Grandpa." _Palmer stared as they both smiled and waved at him, both slowly fading out.

* * *

Konif gasped as the water line in the gardens broke, the pressure making the water spray out. She could feel it wrapping its cold hands around her, stealing all of her warmth, making her shiver as her core temperature dropped.

"_There, there firefly, don't want to go and catch a cold do ya now?" _She felt something weigh down on her shoulders. Gold pins glittered off of padded shoulders; she was wearing her father's coat, warmth spread throughout her body, stopping the shivering. Jeff Konif walked around, facing his floating daughter. "_Much better now isn't it?"_ Konif tried to smile but it was wiped off as her father grinned at her, blood trickling down his mouth. His formal white shirt started to turn red too as fake bullets were fired, ripping through his delicate skin. He fell make in slow motion, disappearing before he hit the ground, taking the warmth with him. Her teeth rattled against each other, leg muscles twitching as they tried to send heat throughout her body.

"No no no no no." Konif repeated, gripping her head, trying to remain calm. Her father was all she had. The only family she had. But now that he was gone, now that he left her again she screamed out, her hands pulling on her hair.

Konif froze, she heard someone shouting outside of the gardens fallowed by a gun shot. Her muscles jerked, god she was cold, so cold. She floated over to the door, opening it and listening someone was talking. It sounded like a man, she couldn't make out what he was saying so she decided to try and get closer to hear him. She turned the corner and shined her light down the hall spotting Jacobs.

* * *

Jane grimaced, looking down at a frozen Alex Palmer, not letting anyone near him but not speaking also.

"We should just give him some time Jane, I'm sure the Professor will talk soon enough," Shafter hummed. She closed her eyes, remembering waking up this morning, how easy it was then.

* * *

**Woah. So this chapter was originally like 7,000 words so I broke it in two so it wouldn't be such a long read. Good news is that the next chap should be up by tomorrow because I already have half of it written.**

**Thank you everybody who reads and thank you everybody who reads and reviews it truly makes my day. Keep the guesses coming!**

**Take Carey everyone and happy Tuesgay! - FTP**


	13. Chapter 13

"_We should just give him some time Jane, I'm sure the Professor will talk soon enough," Shafter hummed. She closed her eyes, remembering waking up this morning, how easy it was then._

* * *

"_Jane! Jane wake up_!" She had been dozing for thirty minutes before the humming of Shafters voice pulled her out of her idle mind.

"Uh! Yeah, yeah I'm up." She sat up rubbing her hands over her face. When she let them fall she saw Maura was already up, with her legs outstretched, toes pointing at her, her back resting against the wall. _At least she's not crying._ Jane thought. "What's up Shafter?" she asked, rolling her shoulders. She looked down at Shafters orange face in the Holoscreen of her Omnicuff.

"_Hapsha, it's coming out of the black hole now._" She stood up so fast the top of the bunk hit her head.

"Ah!" She gripped the top of her head, falling back down onto the bunk. Movement caught her eye and she looked up. Maura had scooted forward, as if she was going to come over to where Jane was sitting holding her head, but thought better of it. Her bare feet were resting against the floor and her outfit looked wrinkled and tight, most likely uncomfortable. Jane slowly stood up this time, careful not to hit her head. She smiled; a soft sigh escaped her as she spoke to Shafter again.

"That's great news. Have you been able to contact anyone?"

"_No we haven't but the ship seems to be looking fine so far, it appears to only be half way out though. I am nervous to see if they have survived. We have yet to fully understand black holes and I wish to see them again_." Jane wanted to go see Hapsha, see her ship finally come out of that thing that was outside but her eyes were drawn to Maura again. She was looking away, her hands fiddling with each other.

"Shafter, I'll be up there in a few minutes." Shafter nodded its head hanging up. "You want some clothes?" Jane asked, then sighing remembering that Maura didn't understand her. Feeling Maura's eyes on her, she walked over to a locker, digging around. The only thing she found was a pair of boots. "_Fuck."_ Jane said, she turned towards Maura holding them up. She couldn't help but laugh as Maura raised her eyebrows.

* * *

Maura looked at the black boots Jane was holding up. _Did she really think that I would wear those? _She asked herself raising her eyebrows. Her stomach dropped as laughter came from Jane. Her face was relaxed, mouth opening up, and her shoulders shaking as her voice lifted, letting it ring out. This was the first time Maura had seen Jane fully smile or laugh, always giving her the hard face or a sympathetic one.

"Shvizz lornik canjuic hishhht nimpf," Jane said through laughs, holding the boots out again. Maura looked down at her bare feet, feeling the coldness of the floor seep through them. She looked over at her shoes that sat on the floor; one of them had a broken heel no longer able to hold her up. With a sigh she held out her hand grabbing the shoes from Jane. She slipped her foot inside of it, wiggling her toes.

"They're a size to big… but I think they'll work," Maura spoke. She was speaking more to herself than to anyone else now. Jane took a small step forward, catching Maura's eye, before kneeling down in front of, trying not to spook her. The brunette placed her thumb against the toe of the boot and waited. Humoring her, Maura lifted her toe, indicating that the boot was indeed too big.

Maura froze, as the smell of Jane hit her. She closed her eyes inhaling. _Lavender_ flowed over her and something else, something she had never been able to name but it was there too. She felt eyes on her and when she looked down Jane was looking up at her from her place on the floor, looking confused.

"You smell just like you used to, before you…. Well… before all of this." Her voice cracked a little bit, causing Jane to look even more concerned. Maura lifted her hand, gently pushing some hair out of Jane's face, her heart pounding at being able to touch her again.

_She feels so real._ That thought seemed to be going through her mind a lot now. Jane parted her lips, speaking softly.

"Jusht czunch einez Maura?" Maura smiled at the use of her name, looking into brown eyes, losing herself in them.

* * *

Jane continued to look at Maura, still feeling her hand against her face. Her eyes were a soft hazel. She watched as they flickered down and then back up again. Jane swallowed, feeling Maura's pinky slowly move over her neck making chills cascade down her body. Maura's smell washed over her, flooding her senses. Vanilla numbed her mind, making her forget where she was. Jane quickly stood up, taking a step back, breathing deeply. She coughed awkwardly before pointing down the hall saying,

"Uh… We should probably go to the… uh… yeah." She started walking, looking over her shoulder at the blonde who seemed reluctant to stand; but followed after Jane after a few more seconds of thinking. They walked down the hall in silence; it was only interrupted by the sound of Maura's stomach growling. The woman next to Jane blushed, but she just smiled at her and patted her stomach also. Maura stepped closer to Jane as they passed a few Charkgin who were going about their business. Their hands brushed and Jane wondered again why this woman was so fascinated with her.

She walked past the stairs that led to the cockpit and headed to the R&R room, needing to feed Maura and herself. The Hapsha was in the back of her mind, she had to fight the urge to sprint to the cockpit and look out the window, or to call Konif's cuff, and she needed to know if the redhead was OK. They stepped into the room, two Charkgin were sitting on some chairs, talking to each other with their movements. Maura watched them, as they moved subtly, their eyes changing. Jane dug in the fridge, if they were lucky they would find something they could eat.

She pulled out a small loaf of bread, smiling at the small victory. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing. She pulled a piece out and handed it to Maura, who took it slowly. Jane ripped off a piece popping it into her mouth, closing her eyes at the flavor. She looked at Maura who ripped off a chunk just like Jane but sniffed it.

"What, you guys don't have bread were you come from?" she asked. Maura put in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Her eyes grew wide as she fully tasted it; she ripped off another piece eating it before she finished chewing her other, hunger over taking her manners. Jane walked around the blonde and headed over to the railing, looking out the windows.

There, the massive ship, with its four wings was coming out of the black hole. Light pooled around it, escaping the same way the ship was. The ship itself was dark, the lights still off. She squinted looking harder at it, it was stretched still just like the last time she had seen it but the end of the ship was just coming out of it, the thrusters burning pure white, the heat moving the large ship forward and out of the jaws of the beast. She felt hope swell in her chest, the ship looked just fine; she'll be able to see Jacobs, Konif and Palmer within the next few hours.

* * *

The redhead pushed herself out of the way as a sonic blast hit the wall where she was. Lights danced around as both of the woman moved.

"Hailey! Holy shit! It's just me!" Jacobs stared at her, anger growing in her eyes.

"Don't play games with me you son of a bitch!" Jacobs yelled, smacking her free hand against her head. Konif raised her hands, showing she wasn't armed.

"Hailey, calm down. I'm not who you think I am," a shiver passed through her body and she said that. She closed her eyes for a moment, stopping her jaw from shaking, the cold still racing through her body. A shift of light made her open her eyes, Jacobs fired at her. Konif pushed off hard, the sonic blast grazing her leg. Her Simitu suit shield held but the blow made her spin, bruising her leg. The blast bounced off of her, and hit the wall again. Konif gripped her leg, gasping as her foot started to go numb from the hit.

"I killed you and I can do it again!" Jacobs yelled, but she wasn't aiming at Konif, she was aiming at an exposed section of the wall. Someone had removed the panel, no doubt fixing something before this mess happened. A bright red fuel line ran underneath the wall. It flickered in the light from Jacobs cuff as she pointed her sonic pistol at it. Konif knew a fire wouldn't break out with the lake of oxygen, but an explosion would still happen.

"NO-" Konif screamed, but she fired. The explosion propelled Konif backwards, hurtling her down the hall. She felt bits of metal slam into her as the fire ripped through a large section of the wall. A piece zipped by her, cutting her cheek. Her back slammed into the wall; suddenly warnings erupted from her suit.

"_Warning, oxygen tank compromised. Warning, oxygen now at fifty percent and dropping. Warning." _Konif gasped, she could hear the air hissing out of the small tube that rested along her spin, the small tube that granted her life. She twisted in the zero-G trying to cover the hole with her hand but she couldn't reach it. A part of her mind heard screaming behind her but she was too focused on her own problems to worry about the noise behind her. Her eyes scanned the hall, remembering the space suit that Jacobs had found.

She was next to storage unit twenty two, the one she needed was down the hall. The hissing was getting softer, she looked down at her suits stats, and her oxygen was down to thirty percent. With a look behind her she propelled herself forward, gaining speed. She bent her leg, going to push off of the floor; she let out a scream as pain jolted through her body. The blue shield bubble she was in started to flash red, telling her that her oxygen was getting too low.

She spotted the door and gripped the railing on the wall, stopping herself. She smacked her hand on the button; it opened silently, showing her a bulky space suit. She floated there for a second frozen, trying to remember how to even put one of these's things on.

"_You have to pull it out and unzip it from the back, remember, just like I showed you." _Konif didn't turn around to know who was talking. She gripped the bulky thing, bracing her leg against the frame, gaining leverage. The helmet floated around the small closet as the suit gave way from its locks.

"_Warning, oxygen levels at ten percent. Please refill immediately."_ Konif's breaths were coming in shorts bursts, most of her air escaping through the hole in the tank making her panic. She shoved her legs into the suit not caring for the pain in her left thigh. She held up her left arm, breathing heavily, she connected her Omnicuff with the suit, turning it on. She felt the zipper on the back do itself up, as she turned and reached into the closet reaching for the helmet.

"_Warning, oxygen levels now depleted, please refill immediately."_ Konif gasped, not anticipating the loss of the air so soon. Her gloved hands brushed the helmet as her mind screamed at her to hurry up. Finally she grasped it, slamming it down over her head. She heard the locks slide into place and then air blasted out of ducts in the helmet. Konif gulped, panting as the air rushed at her granting her life. Looking through the plated glass down at her Omnicuff she saw the oxygen levels of the suit, less than fifty percent.

"Fucking cut me a break," she mumbled to herself turning the bulky suit that was much too big for her towards were Jacobs was. Jeff was standing there, bleeding everywhere, making her shiver harder. She doesn't let her eyes linger to long on her dead father, instead started to make her way down the hallway, the suit hard to maneuver.

"Oh… no," she said softly, closing her eyes as she stopped herself. The hall was lit by the lights on the helmet. She could make out fuel coming out of the damaged line, a large section of the wall gone. She pushed herself over, grasping the emergency shut off, pulling with all of her strength shutting it off. The air from the suit was musty and it made her sneeze. She gasped, blood from her cut floating away forming little balls in the air. She turned looking towards were the Air passageway was, clenching her stomach as she looked at the person floating there. Jacobs was slowly turning, motionless in the zero-G. A massive piece of shrapnel jutted out of her head, her eyes already misted over. Konif straightened herself out, brushing the bits of metal out of her way.

"Alex this is Konif, do you read me?" she asked, forgetting about the little man that was in the cockpit by himself. Static was her answer.

"_Maybe he's busy firefly."_

"And maybe you're not real!" she yelled turning herself around, facing nothing. Then suddenly the ship lurched, she was holding onto the wall railing so she was flung with it. Groaning echoed all along the walls, the metal fighting against the black hole. _I need to be in the cockpit. _She gulped turning towards the Air passageway, careful not to touch Jacobs, the suit just fitting and headed towards the H.C.C., willing herself not think about Jacobs's body.

"Alex!" Konif yelled as she pulled herself out of the Air passageway. The little man was curled up just floating there. "Alex! Are you OK?" She stopped herself just in front of him. He didn't respond to her and flashing coming from her console caught her eye. She stared at Palmer for a second longer before settling herself in front of the Holoscreens.

"Here goes nothing," she mumbled to herself. She looked at the Holographs of outside, pitch black. The flight path looked normal and she could feel the slightest of pressure pulling down on her, the ship was entering its arch. The redhead punched in the code for the automatic flying controls came out.

"_Specialist Pilot Konif, Manuel flying has been engaged."_

"Do you want a fucking medal for your observation skills?" she asked Andi, grabbing the stick and pulling on it.

* * *

"Jane, you just got here in time, Hapsha is almost out of the pull of the black hole!" Shafter hummed. Jane and Maura had made their way upstairs, the blonde talking a mile a minute about something, she kept pointing at Hapsha; Jane could only listen to the odd sounds she was making and the way her voice rose and dropped. Shafter hummed louder when it spotted Maura who smiled back at it.

"Captain Rizzoli!" a Charkgin shouted. "Someone aboard Hapsha is attempting to make contact with us." The Holoscreen shined softly then went black, colors flickered across it.

"_GET SOOOOMMMMEEE!"_ They heard Konif's voice before they actually saw her. A distorted image of her popped up, her image freezing and then unfreezing, her voice not matching her lips. "_Does anyone read me? I repeat, does anyone read me?" _Jane looked at the Charkgin who was in charge, closing its third eye, letting the bottom two fill up with blue; happy. It nodded its head at her, she stepped forward her voice rasping out.

"We read you loud and clear Pilot Konif."

"_It's good to hear your voice Captain, damn good."_ Jane noticed Konif was in a space suit and she saw Palmer floating behind her in a ball.

"Konif, how much longer do you think we need to wait before coming aboard?" she glanced out the window as she said it, the ship's thrusters still burning.

"_I still think we should give it a few more minutes, I can still feel the pull of the black hole…." _She trailed off and what Jane could make of her face was worry.

"Konif is everything alright?"

"_Commander Jacobs is… dead ma'am."_ Konif grew formal in the role of bringer of bad news. Jane felt her stomach drop. She rubbed her forehead, frustration making her shoulders tense. _Just one thing after the next. _Hailey Jacobs face flashed before her. She ran her hand through her hair, surprise the stress isn't making it grey.

"She was good person…," Jane cleared her throat. "We'll take care of all of this mess when we get aboard. How's Palmer?"

"_Jane… some things happened while we were on our little mission. It's easier to explain in person," _she paused. "_But the Professor is fine, just not speaking."_

* * *

Maura watched the interaction between Jane and the redhead woman wondering this woman was to the brunette. Shafter was standing next to her and its humming increased when it saw the redhead also. She looked up at it asking,

"How do you do that?" Shafter glanced down at her, third eye closed; bottom two filling up with blue. "How do you do _that!?"_ she asked. Her mind raced with all the possible answers but the thing turned away from her, stepping up next to Jane speaking. The redhead smiled, talking back. Maura could only understand a few words and Jane and Shafter's names and that was all. She felt so lost.

She leaned against the railing that lined a window, looking at the large ship. She remembered being thrown out of something, hitting her head. She touched the bandage. And then the next thing she knew, Jane was holding her and they were floating around in space. A shiver passed through her body.

* * *

Jane was walking up to Maura when she saw the shiver. She slipped off her jacket, placing it on the blonde's shoulders.

"Oh, Thank you Jane," she said, pulling the jacket closer. The brunette smiled, mostly at hearing her name. She paused before leaning back against the railing, looking over the cockpit and not the window. She glanced at the woman, tapping her on the shoulder. The blonde looked at her, wondering what she wanted. Jane pointed at herself,

"Jane," and then pointed at the blonde. She already knew Maura's name, but she knew she wasn't pronouncing it right. She cleared her throat saying Maura's name the best she could.

Maura straightened up facing her, understanding that she was trying to pronounce her name right. Slowly she sounded it out for the brunette who repeated it to herself, finally saying it right.

"Maura?" She smiled at Jane, nodding her head. Hazel eyes locked with brown as they stared at each other. The brunette however, dropped her gaze, smiling to herself, glad that she was saying Maura's name right. Jane looked down at her hands, rubbing them a bit, mostly to give herself something to do, wanting to past the time. She felt Maura's eyes on her but she didn't look up.

* * *

Maura watched as Jane rubbed her left hand slowly. Her stomach dropped as she watched the motion. How she had seen Jane do it so many times before, trying to let the blood flow back into her fingers. Jane stopped, and laced her fingers together, letting them fall in front of her, the backs smooth and un-damaged. Maura looked up and found Jane looking at her confused.

She reached out, Jane's eyes on her and then placed her hand in between the brunettes shoulder blades, letting it sprawl out. Maura knew she was touching them, touching the scars that Jane would always have. The brunettes face went white, her eyes widening.

* * *

She felt Maura's hand pressing against her biggest scar that ran the length of her back. The back of her neck prickled and she felt the hair rise. She quickly stepped out of the touch, turning without looking, and walked over to Shafter needing to distract herself.

Jane sighed, rubbing her hand against her face again, pulled out of her memory. She looked over at Maura who was looking around and squeezed her shoulder to get her attention.

"Shafter, do you mind if you stayed with Maura? I need to make rounds, see how people are holding up." Shafter hummed, looking at Maura who glanced between them. Jane let go of her hand turning taking a step back, trying to make it clear that the blonde should stay; she nodded her head, smiling and looked over at the alien, saying something.

Jane turned fully, skipping down the steps, stopping when she reached where the little man was standing, and his face in his hands.

"Professor?" Jane asked softly, waving her hand at the people around them, dismissing them. He looked up, looking at Jane with such sad eyes, almost on the brink of tears.

"I saw them Jane, I saw them." She took another step forward.

"Who?"

"My daughter and grandson, he was such a handsome little boy."

"How Alex, how did you see them?" She now rested her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure. I know they're dead Jane, but, I can't help but feel at peace with seeing them one last time." She motioned for Dr. Peirce to come over now.

"Professor, are you willing to go with Dr. Peirce and get checked out, I want to know that you're okay." He smiled up at her, a tear trickling out and patted her hand.

"Of course deary, of course. I'll be alright in due time I suppose." He still looked stunned when he walked away with the doctor. She caught the arm of a passing doctor,

"Is Pilot Konif still at the medbay?"

"Yes Captain. She seemed fine when we got here but fainted when she was being escorted down there." Jane dashed up the stairs, slipping into the elevator with a few other people before the doors closed. They all stepped a little bit out of her way, giving her space. As soon as the doors opened she bolted down the hall, just barely missing people.

"Woah woah! Captain slow down." Dr. Adams said.

"Konif is she…?"

"She's fine Captain, just tired that's all. She's resting now, you can see her if you want to." Jane thanked the doctor before slowly making her way into the Medbay, a few people occupied the bunks, Konif in the far back one. Jane stood next to her bed looking down at her. She had a bandage on her cheek and her leg braced.

"Hey…," Konif's voice dragged out as she saw Jane standing there.

"Hey yourself. How you holding up kid?" Konif swallowed, licking her dry lips.

"Better then I was earlier." Konif's eyes misted over before she slowly shook her head, clearing it.

"Konif what happened?" The redhead's face grew hard, her remark sharper than Jane anticipated.

"You'll get your report soon enough Captain Rizzoli." Jane frowned at Konif's tone but dropped it. But she stayed next to her side talking to her, trying to forget about all the problems that awaited her as soon as she went back to the H.C.C.

* * *

**Assssssss promised, here's chapter 13. **

**Did you guys like this climax? Because I sure did. Tell me what you think, you don't have to if you don't want to... no pressure.**

**Thank you everyone who reads and reviews and thank you everyone who reads.**

**Take Care - FTP**

**P.S. _Man... _Killer in High Heels was a good episode. 3 **


	14. Chapter 14

Maura watched as bodies walked and ran by her; all shouting to each other. She was in a massive room, possibly a mile long. Her eyes drifted over the bottom two levels, her and Shafter standing on the highest one. She spotted people on the bottom floor moving around, there was a hum of voices drifting over to where they were. She jumped and looked around when a robotic voice blasted over the room.

Shuttering Maura turned around, looking at the people moving about the floor she was on. They glanced at her, but as soon as they made eye contact they dropped their gaze, looking away. What she would guess to be an elevator kept opening and closing, allowing people to move in and out going to the area's they needed to be in the massive ship. There was a large orange holograph sitting in the middle of a huge table. Maura recognized it as a scaled down version of the ship they were in now. There were two red blinking lights, with words floating around them. A woman was pointing at one of them and talking to a man who replied before running off.

"Shafter," the alien looked down at her. Its arms were folded behind its back, the humming coming from it slowly stopping. Maura swallowed trying to figure out a way to communicate what she needed. With a leap of faith she pointed down at her torso right next to her hips. The alien tilted its head, the blonde sighing. She had to be clearer. Bringing her knees together and bending slightly, she held her abdomen looking at Shafter with a pained face. She ignored the looks of the people walking by her, focusing on the tall thing standing next to her. The alien blinked at her staying still. Then someone spoke up.

"Sloonz lunkst zarknift Shafter." The woman rolled her eyes before walking past them, Maura glaring, not sure what she had said. Shafter placed its hand on her shoulder, tossing its head indicating it wanted her to follow it. Staying close Maura obliged. They walked down the stairs heading down to the third floor. People stepped out of their way, saluting Shafter as it passed them and throwing confused looks at Maura who didn't make any eye contact, focusing on the stairs she was going down.

Maura stuck close to Shafter, not daring to wonder off and get lost. It stopped in front of the farthest wall, pressing a button and a door opened reviling a bathroom. She smiled at Shafter trying to communicate that it had done right. She slowly stepped into the shinning room, the door closing behind her with a soft whoosh. She eyed the toilet and sink, both looking normal, well at least as normal could get. After figuring out how to flush, she walked over to the sink, splashing water on her arms and scrubbing her hands.

She made the mistake of looking up.

Her reflection stared back at her. Her normal bright green eyes were dark and hooded as if she were keeping a dark secret in them, her cheeks hollow and pale not showing the signs of someone that was alive. She licked her lips; they felt like sandpaper, not to mention the bandage that sat on top of her head. Carefully peeling it off she let it drop to the bowl, examining the wound. It wasn't as bad as she had thought, just a small cut that was already stitched up by Shafter. She decided to let it stay uncovered wanting to give it some air.

_What does it matter though?_ She thought, sighing heavily, closing her eyes and leaning her hands against the sink, her body shaking. Her mind had come to some sort of acceptance as to what has happened to her but there, in the back of her mind she felt the itch, the logic pressing against her, shouting at her that none of this is real, that none of this can be real.

She opened her eyes, trying to ease the headache that was creeping along, looking down at her hands as they gripped the sink. White knuckled and veins pulsing with the pressure from her grip. She let go, a dent creased into her skin, she ran her thumb over it feeling the tender skin there, feeling the cold metal of something from memory.

_Black and cool._

She gasped as her mind flashed, her thoughts spinning.

_Heavy and terrifying._

She gripped her head with shaking hands.

_Demanding and accepting._

Maura snapped her eyes closed letting out a soft cry, tears sliding down her cheeks.

_Jane's gun._

She pounded the mirror there with her fist, trying to stop the thoughts.

"_You're wrong you're so wrong about me."_

She hit the mirror again with her other hand, trying to stop the voice whispering in her ear.

"_That Jane out there is an imposter, I am dead."_ She threw her right first into the glass hearing a satisfied noise as the mirror cracked.

"_You don't believe me, feel."_ Something warm covered her hand and she opened her eyes, her hands not stopping as a scream escaped her throat, blood splattering out of her cut knuckles. Her scream was loud, making her ears ring with the promise of deafness. Someone banged on the door, their deep voice coming through the metal.

"_They're not real, none of this is real."_ Jane whispered into her ear, her body pressing against her back, grabbing her right hand carefully cradling it, grabbing her other and brought them to her chest, hugging her from behind, whispering in her ear.

"_None of it is real."_

"This is real….. This is real…. You're not real," Maura cried out, shaking in the womans hold, tears streaming down her face.

"_No Maur,"_ she breathed against the blond's neck. _"It's not real, look." _Maura opened her eyes looking at herself standing there, her arms crossed into her chest. The Mirror was perfectly fine, as were her knuckles. She looked down at them, gasping as they looked just as they always did, clean.

"No no no no no no no," she repeated to herself stepping back, fear chilling her body. She couldn't breathe, she needed to breathe. She clawed at her throat gasping, her lungs working into overload. She felt sweat trickle down her temple. She scrapped her nails across her left knuckles, trying to feel something, feel anything.

_Nothing._

She let out another scream as Jane's gun somehow materialized on top of the counter that sat around the sink. Opening the bathroom door she bolted, colliding with the person that was standing there knocking.

* * *

"So… How's that woman that came through the portal?" Konif asked, clearing her throat taking a sip of water, trying to clear the roughness of it. Jane smiled softly to herself thinking of the blonde stranger and how kind she was even though they couldn't speak to each other.

"Well…," she chuckled making Konif ask,

"What's so funny?"

"For starters her names Maura and she doesn't speak our language that's all we have managed to understand from her." Jane rubbed her hand remembering the way Maura's felt against hers. The way when the woman moved her blonde hair swayed with her or when she passed you there was something about the way she smelled like vanilla making Jane's mind turn into mush. Konif noticed the way her friend seemed to get lost in her thoughts but didn't speak letting the Captain think about whatever she was thinking about.

"Do you think the Professor can help us with the whole language thing?" Jane suddenly asked, turning her attention back on the sleepy redhead. She frowned in thought.

"I mean, I don't see why not. Have you figured out what she speaks?"

"No but maybe when Palmer meets her they can, I don't know, geek out or something…" Jane trailed off again thinking.

"That could work. But first you gotta get through to the Professor." Konif pointed at the bed on the other side of the room at Jane's raised eyebrows. Palmer was laying there fast asleep looking peaceful. Someone came walking in his eyes scanning around until they landed on Konif.

"Konif!" He yelled jogging over, spotting Jane he fell short standing at attention, saluting her. Jane sat there staring back at him; he stood there gruffly waiting for her to salute back to him. Konif scoffed, pushing against Jane shoulder.

"Come on Jane, let Shin-Tu relax." His eyes darted down to Jane making eye contact. She stared at him raising an eyebrow, smiling she said.

"Nah, I think I like making him sweat a little bit." Konif chuckled as Jane stood up.

"At ease Engineer Shin-Tu." The man dropped his hand smiling when he looked at Konif. "I think I'm going to go check up on Shafter and Maura and then go deal with…. Other things," her mind jumped to Hailey Jacobs when she said that.

"Oh, tell that slime ball of a friend that I want to see it," Konif said turning her attention to the dark haired man who pulled up a chair next to her bed. She walked away, people moving trying not to disturb the Captain. As she stood in the elevator alone, a rare occasion, she sighed heavily rubbing her face. With a _ding_ the doors opened, the H.C.C. was beyond crowded. She maneuvered her way through the crowds, giving her attention to those who needed to speak with her.

"And how is the fuel line repair going on in Wing D," she rasped to a blond man who walked next to her as she made her way across the floor.

"They are just starting now, after cleaning up everything else. I'm sending you the schematics now." She nodded dismissing him. She opened her Omnicuff looking at outlines of the repairs that they needed to do. Someone came walking up to her.

"Captain Rizzoli, it's nice to see you in the flesh again." She saluted Officer Carlson back, noticing what he held in his arms. "Is this…?"

"The thing that shot out of the portal with the blonde woman, sure is. We have yet to know what it is though…" he trailed off as Jane leaned around looking at the cowering animal.

"I guess for now you can place it in quarantine, we'll figure out if it belongs to Maura or not." A scrawny man walked up too, holding a bag.

"This was in the hallway also," he said.

"Just, whatever you find in that hallway put it into the quarantine room."

"Yes Ma'am." They both said heading off to do her bidding.

She spotted Shafter leaning against the wall outside of the third floor bathroom. Quickly turning off the information screens Jane headed down there. As she was going down the third flight of stairs, in the middle of putting her hair up she spotted Shafter grow worrisome, placing a hand against the door there. She stopped for a second before jogging over.

"Everything alright Shafter?" The aliens' eyes flickered with all the emotions it was going through.

"I think she's hurting herself." Jane rested her head against the door, holding her breathe when she heard it, a choked sobbed. She jumped back as Maura screamed loudly followed by thudding noises. She slammed her fist into the door,

"Maura!" There was no reply only the sound of a distraught woman on the other side. Jane the clicked on the Holoscreen, trying to open the door but it didn't work. The screams died down only to be replaced with mumbling. Shafter and Jane swapped a look. And then suddenly the door opened to Maura screaming and bolting out. She collided into Jane full force making them both fall down.

"No no no no no no!" Maura was yelling pushing Jane off of her. The Captain rolled over quickly snapping up, people stopping what they are doing to watch. Soldiers stepped forward their Sonic Rifles raised, pointed at Maura.

"No! Stand down! STAND DOWN!" Jane yelled, roughly pushing one of the rifles down, not wanting to spook Maura as much as she already was. The blonde woman was on the ground, her breathing ragged.

"Maura?" Jane asked softly walking over to her. She placed her hand on her shaking shoulder, the blonde turned into stone.

"_Jane," _her voice was deep and holding so much emotion. She looked up at the brunette who gasped, seeing Maura's knuckles. Blood was pouring out of them, the cuts having yet to clout. Her wrists were starting to swell, bruises covering her hands. Maura followed her gaze and looked down at her hands, pressing her fingers against the blood that didn't seem to stop. She gasped as her fingers made contact sending pain up her arm.

"B-b-but this can't…. I mean…" Maura's breathing started to get more labored, as if she just got done running. She looked up to Jane's brown eyes, gasping for air.

"Someone get a doctor!" Jane yelled over her shoulder at the forming crowd. She knelt down, gripping both of her shoulders making eye contact with her. Green eyes bore into her as Maura tried to calm down.

"Maura?... Maura?!" Jane yelled as the blonde suddenly slumped over into Jane's hold, her eyes closing. Jane's hand flailed around her neck, searching for her artery, sighing as she felt the pulsing of Maura's racing heart, sending blood all around her body. Jane cradled Maura, holding the unconscious woman, feeling the eyes of everyone else on her back. She looked over her shoulder barking,

"Get back to work, isn't there things that need to be fixed?!" They broke up quickly, bumping into each other, trying to get away from the Captains gaze. Shafter crouched down next to them humming,

"Jane, I feel like… we need to isolate Maura somehow."

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, looking down at the face that was resting against the crook of her arm.

"How would you feel if suddenly you were transported to a different Universe and all of these people are trying to talk to you but you don't understand them so you're left in the dark and aliens are present and try to speak to you, not to mention-"

"Alright!" Jane interrupted, knowing to stop her friend before it could continue its rant. "Alright," she said softer. Shafter stood up as Dr. Peirce came running over, heading over to the bathroom and looking in. The blond man asked,

"What happened?"

"It appears she had some sort of episode and proceeded to hit the mirror." Shafter hummed at them. Jane was reluctant to let go of Maura, wanting to protect her feeling like it was her responsibility. Dr. Peirce grabbed one of her hands looking at the wounds there, the blood finally seeming like it was stopping.

"I'd like to get her to the medbay." He stood up, right about to call for a stretcher when Jane stood up carefully, not wanting to jar the unconscious cargo she was holding. She held Maura close to her chest, cradling her.

"Let's go," Jane said, nodding her head towards the elevator and carried Maura with ease, Dr. Peirce falling into step with her. "Shafter! You comin'? Konif wants to see you," Jane called to the alien. It looked like it was thinking before saying,

"Tell her that I'll come and see her later I must look into something." Jane shrugged stepping into the lift.

* * *

"…ou should have seen it; it was the biggest Shvista I have ever seen!"

"But I thought they only grew to be ten feet long?"

"This thing had to be at least forty, Shin-Tu, at least… Oh hey Jane, tell him about the forty foot Shvista that we saw," Konif said as soon as she spotted the brunette walking back into the medbay. The redhead eyes widened as she saw what Jane was holding. "Is that…?" her question hung in the room unanswered. The Captain carefully laid Maura out on the bed next to Konif, slowly pulling out her arms from underneath her. She stepped away as the doctors swarmed her.

"My my! She looks prettier in person than when her image is distorted by a portal." A British accent rang out. Jane turned around smiling as she noticed Alex Palmer sitting up in his bed trying to get a better look at the blonde.

"Professor, you're awake."

"Yes, I thought a nap was in order after…," his eyes misted over for a second before he pulled himself out of his memory. "Well, it doesn't matter now deary. I'm all rested up." Jane walked over to him, throwing over her shoulder at Konif and Shin-Tu,

"It was fifty." She sat on the side of his bed smiling at the small man, glad to see that he was up and looking fine for the most part. She opened her mouth to ask something when another doctor came up to her.

"Captain Rizzoli?" Jane held eye contact with Palmer for a second longer before sighing and looking at the doctor with raised eyebrows. "You wanted to let me know when we beguine the autopsy of Commander Hailey Jacobs." There came a heavy sigh from behind Jane, no doubt Konif. Palmer dropped he eyes, looking down at his hands, fidgeting.

"Right." She stood up following the doctor, casting one last anxious glance at Maura, to a separate room that was down the hall. There laid her X.O. She was pale and looked like she was frozen. Her hair had already been shaved away from the wound, the piece of metal lying on an examination table next to her. Jane looked at it, disgusted that something like this took some one's life.

"So, how did this happen?" she rasped out, turning her gaze away from the body.

"Well I can't be one-hundred percent sure because we still have yet to know what happened down there," Jane grunted. "But as far as I can tell Captain, when that fuel line blew, there was still enough oxygen in the hallway for an explosion, and so when it did go," she just gestured to the piece of metal on the table when she said that. "But of course, we'll know more when we get the reports back from Professor Palmer and Konif." Jane nodded her head, turning away from the body heading out. She collided with someone in the hallway, causing what they were holding to spill out all over the floor.

"Oh whoa there Shafter, where's the fire?" she asked as she noticed it was her friend. They bent down to start picking up,

"Books? Why do you have books?" she asked again, holding up a full dictionary of the Jungken language.

"I was thinking maybe Maura speaks one of these." She held up the Jungken dictionary with a smirk. "You never know Jane."

"OK what do we have here? Greek, Russian, Spanish…" she trailed off picking up a tattered book, the cover was worn, black leather encasing it. She opened it; the pages felt like tissue paper they were so thin. "What's this one?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of the pages that had words she didn't understand with illustrations next to some.

"According to the spine it's English. That book was tucked away; I was barely able to find it." Jane had stood up, some books tucked under her arm, Shafter holding the rest, staring down at the English dictionary that sat heavily in her hand.

"English…" Jane's mind was whirling.

"Yes Jane," Shafter closed all three of its eyes in confusion, not following Jane's train of thought.

Jane's mind went back to when all three of them were standing in the Charkgin ship talking to Konif. For the most part Maura had been silent until Jane spoke specific words, making her spin around staring at her.

"Stay safe my little firefly…" she said out loud. Shafter grew more confused. "She looked at me when I said that. Does the Iwoa have cameras on it?" She asked already walking down the hallway, Shafter keeping up.

"Yes it does but-"

"Do you think we can pull up a feed of Maura speaking and cross reference the sounds to the phrase?"

"I don't see why not," Shafter widened its eyes as it started to understand. "Do you think…?"

"There's only one way to find out," Jane said back, excitement in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

"There! She wouldn't stop talking when we were walking back up to the cockpit." Jane pointed at the Holoscreen as the Charkgin running it looped the feed, scanning out Maura's voice.

"Now we'll just record your voice," the alien said, clicking a button waiting for her to speak.

"Stay safe my little firefly. My light will always be on." The computer picked up her voice; she hoped her pronunciation was right. They played Maura and Jane's voice at the same time, the computer picking up on the different pitches. Shafter stood next to Jane humming in anticipation, the other Charkgin seeming to get excited too, Jane clicked her thumb nail against her teeth waiting for the negative match. The computer dinged, green words flashed, Andi's voice coming over the intercom.

"_It appears, Captain Rizzoli, that Maura does indeed speak English." _Jane and Shafter stood there frozen, the books seeming to weigh nothing in their hands. Jane set down the books roughly, turning on her Omnicuff. She opened the English dictionary and scanned the first page, flipping to the next.

Scan.

Flip.

Scan.

Flip.

She repeated this until every single page was scanned, her Omnicuff showing the data that she was feeding into it.

"Here I'm sending you the scans," Shafter's cuff blinked. "Send it to your translator," she sighed heavily. "Hopefully this will work."

* * *

"Hold on deary, are you telling me that that woman," he pointed at the blonde still lying down in the bed. "Speaks English?!" his voice was higher than usual with excitement.

"We believe so Professor Palmer," Shafter hummed from his place next to Konif, Shin-Tu leaving a little bit ago.

"While she's unconscious we," she pointed at Dr. Peirce standing by. "Are going to implant a translator in her ears, hopefully this will get rid of the miscommunication that's going on."

"But Jane," Konif piped up. "What if she doesn't speak English?" The Captain shrugged.

"Then we keep trying I guess."

"Oh, this is truly exciting, I can't wait to speak to her and learn what all she has to offer." Jane chuckled at the small mans enthusiasm. She nodded at Peirce who leaned down next to Maura, carefully placing something in her ear.

"Shafter and I already programmed it to translate German to English," Jane said softly, the room tense with anticipation. She swiped her Omnicuff pulling up the data she had stored there, sending it to everyone that was in the room.

"There. Now if this does actually work,"

"Hopefully," Konif mumbled.

"You can all understand what she says now." Palmer slowly turned on his Omnicuff making sure the data was stored properly, Konif doing the same.

Peirce moved to the other side of the bed. Jane's eyes caught movement and looked at Shafter and Konif, their hands clasped tight around each other. She covered a smile with her hand turning away.

"Well that should do it; hopefully the sting of the implants latching themselves on won't startle her too much." Jane grimaced as she remembered having her translators changed, getting more up to date ones. The process wasn't pleasant. Dr. Peirce fiddled with Holoscreen's that his Omnicuff projected, activating the implants, Maura didn't stir.

"How long do you think she'll be out for doc?" Jane asked.

* * *

There was a sharp pain in both of her ears but Maura didn't pay any attention to it. Her hearing was like she was underwater, the voices were distorted. She shifted, not yet daring to open her eyes. Her hands ached and her head was pounding. There was a flutter or air next to her and someone placed their hand on top of her forearm. She didn't need to have her eyes open to know who was holding her.

"Maura?" Jane rasped.

Maura opened her eyes slowly, Jane, a man, a woman, Shafter, and another man with an odd comb over were all staring at her. She slowly started to sit up, Jane helping her. Maura groaned, resting her head in her hands. They were all quiet until Jane cleared her throat.

"Maura…" She looked up at the brunettes tone. Jane casted a worried look around before finally speaking again. "Maura… Can you understand me?" Her mind froze in the middle of thoughts, her mouth going slack at Jane's words. It was odd though, Jane's thin lips didn't match what she said but it was her voice. "Can you?" she asked again, looking at the blond man standing next to her bed. Maura stared into brown eyes, slowly nodding her head, her heart hammering in her chest. Relief washed over her face, as she grinned at her happiness radiating off of her. "You can?!" the man with the comb over spoke up,

"Well say something deary we want to hear that lovely voice of yours!" Shafter hummed in agreement while the redhead continued to stare. Maura's mouth was dry; she swallowed trying to moisten it. She looked right into Jane's face, needing to say this, wanting to say this.

"You're…" her voice was horse from screaming and she cleared it trying again.

"You're dead."

* * *

**_Boom._**

**So I regret taking on three different fanfic projects at the same time. But challenge accepted.**

**I hope you all liked this chapter, please tell me what you think, concerns or questions I normally answer as soon as possible.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Take care everyone! - FTP**


	15. Chapter 15

"You're dead." Jane heard the soft hum and click of her translator as it dissected Maura's words. The room was silent, what the blonde had just said hanging in the room. Jane's stomach turned with nerves. The Captain looked over her shoulder at Konif and Shafter who looked just as confused as she felt.

"Did you hear that also?" she asked the room at large, all of them nodding their heads. Finally she turned her attention onto Dr. Peirce. "Is that what she really said?" he fiddled with his Omnicuff, frowning, making sure everything was right with their translators. A hand slipped into hers and squeezed it. Jane looked down at Maura who gripped her hand tightly. She rolled Jane's hand over, her finger lightly tracing across the center of Jane's palm, the skin smooth and soft under her touch.

"Did you just say that I'm dead?" Jane asked her softly, wanting to make sure she had heard right.

"Yes, I did," Maura spoke, her voice horse. Jane lowered herself so she was sitting down on the side of the bed, looking at Maura, allowing her to touch her hand. She could feel everyone's eyes flickering between her and Maura, but she ignored them.

"Okay….," Jane dragged out. Maura just sat there staring at her, her finger still slowly moving. Jane looked down questioningly, watching Maura's finger move back and forth across her palm, etching an invisible line there.

"You…. You had scars on your hands before you died… but…. You don't anymore?" She scrunched up her face, her mind still trying to catch up with everything

"My word!" Palmer gasped from across the room. "How did Jane go about getting those scars deary!?" he asked, the little man's curiosity getting the better of him. Jane threw a look at him over her shoulder. Maura closed her eyes, sighing heavily and shook her head, refusing to answer. Jane changed the subject again, grasping Maura's hand, stilling her movements.

"What do you mean I'm dead Maura, I'm right here." The blonde woman in front of her let out a bitter laugh. Peirce finally snapped into action and poured a glass of water handing it to her. Maura gently accepted it, saying a soft,

"Thank you," before drinking it. When she set down the cup speaking out, her voice was clearer and sounded more like herself.

"I mean exactly what I said Jane. You're dead and none of this is real. I… I know it's not." Maura slipped her hand out of Jane's let her own fall into her lap. Jane frowned; she looked back over at Konif who shrugged. Jane racked her brain for something else to say but couldn't find anything. It was the Professor who spoke next.

"What makes you think none of this is real dear?" Maura looked up and smiled softly at the old man on the other bed.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we have met…?" she asked dodging the question. Palmer slowly got out of the bed and shuffled over, smiling at her. Dr. Peirce awkward stepped out of the little mans way, grumbling.

"The name's Professor Alex Palmer, a pleasure to meet you." Maura beamed at the small mans title, shaking his offered hand.

"Doctor Maura Isles," the blonde spoke clearly, proud of her title.

"You're a doctor you say?" Dr. Peirce stepped forward again. The area around Maura's bed was starting to get crowded with the four of them there. Maura's face fell a bit, uncomfortable with all the attention. No one seemed to notice except Jane, who rested her hand against Maura's shin, squeezing it a little bit, trying to reassure her. Maura's eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of Jane's hand, past memoires fuddling her mind. Jane let go standing up and took a step back allowing Maura some room. She leaned against the end of her bed waiting for the answer just like everyone seemed like they were.

"I am," was all she said. She opened her eyes, adding, "Or I was for that matter." Peirce looked at Palmer frowned.

"Gentlemen," Jane rasped. "I think we should allow Maura some rest." Peirce opened his mouth to object but one look from Jane stopped his protest.

"I agree with you Captain," was all he said. Palmer stepped away from Maura's bed with a smile and hopped back into his own, making sure the blankets were tight around his small body. He yawned heavily into his hand. Dr. Peirce sighed silently and walked over to Palmer speaking softly to him. Jane held Maura's gaze for a few seconds longer before saying,

"I'll be back later to visit all of you," she looked at the other patients that were sitting in their beds.

"I'm looking forward to it deary," Palmer said yawning again. Shafter remained seated next to Konif's bed.

"Alright, I'll catch you later then Jane," her face darkened when she spoke next. "And I should have the report filed by then, hopefully."

"Jane… what we talked about earlier?" Shafter hummed softly. Everyone looked at Shafter and then back at Jane, wanting in on the secret. Everyone except Maura, she just looked down at her hands. _Right, placing Maura by herself so she won't get to overwhelmed. _The hairs on the back of Jane's neck rose as she felt Dr. Peirce take a small step closer to Maura.

"Maura, can you walk?" Jane asked deeply, Shafter had a point. Her fierce gaze rested on Dr. Peirce, making him freeze. If she left Maura here no doubt he wasn't going to let her sleep, just attack her with questions. The woman looked positively haggard. Her hands were bandaged, her shoulders were slouched and her eyelids drooped heavily. Jane ignored everyone's looks and waited on Maura's answer.

"I think so…."

"Dr. Peirce, may I take her to a room so she can have some _proper_ piece and quite?" Jane voiced it more as a demand than a question.

"I would be OK with that. I was going to have her stay here while she rested but…" he trailed off, thinking it wiser just to answer simply. "Yes Captain." Dr. Peirce stepped out of Jane's way as she walked back over to the side of Maura's bed, offering her her hand.

"Come on," she said softly. "You look like you could do with some sleep in a more comfortable bed." Although Maura had slept well last night, she still felt the grips of fatigue. She hesitated for a second, remembering the feeling of Jane pressed against her, whispering in her ear in that bathroom.

"_That Jane out there is an imposter, I am dead."_

The blonde looked up into brown eyes. They were soft and held so much emotion in them. Maura's gaze dropped down to Jane's outstretched hand. Pushing down dark thoughts that rose, she firmly grasped it and stood up, wobbling a bit on unsteady legs.

"Careful," Jane said, grasping her waist to steady her. Maura smiled welcoming Jane's hold. But the Captain dropped the hand that rested on Maura's waist too soon for her liking and stepped away, allowing Maura to walk by. Jane tried to slip her hand out of Maura's wanting to give her her space but the blonde gripped it tighter. They slowly made their way out of the room, everyone's eyes on their backs and started to walk down the hallway.

* * *

Every one watched as Jane and Maura left down the hall, not even looking back.

"Well that was…" Konif started, lost for a word.

"Amazing? Extraordinary? Unbelievable?" Palmer offered up from his bed. Shafter humming in amusement, its hand squeezed Konifs who squeezed back.

"Yeah Professor something like that."

"I am very pleased that we can now finally speak with Maura. With the limited time that I have spent with her, she has a nice presence about her," Shafter said, closing its third eye and allowing the other two to fill up with blue; happy.

"Oh yeah?" the redhead asked, her own fascination with the woman from a different Universe getting the better of her.

"'Oh yeah' indeed Olga."

* * *

Maura finally let go of her hand, but slipped it around Jane's arm, holding onto it, her legs feeling wobbly still.

"You must be hungry." Jane noted, both of them only having eaten a meager meal that morning.

"Actually I am." Maura said, keeping a slow pace her eyes glued to the floor, eyelids blinking slowly.

"It looks like you'd rather sleep though," Jane bit her lip, always one horrible at small talk. But to her surprise Maura laughed, it was tired sounding and rough.

"You always could see what I needed most." People walked around them, some saluting Jane, others merely nodding.

"What do you mean?" But again the blonde shut her out.

"It doesn't matter really." Trying to keep the conversation going Jane changed the subject.

"You said that you're a doctor?" She pulled them to a halt, clicking the Holoscreen, calling the elevator down to them.

"Yes, but I don't think my medical license would be legal here. Where ever here is…" They stepped into the elevator, Jane sighing in relief when she saw it was empty. She pressed the button that would take them to Wing A, floor 0, she opened her mouth going to say something when Maura cut her off.

"Jane." Her voice was different, it was deeper, and it held a bite to it. She glanced at her and felt Maura slip her hand out from Jane's arm.

"Uh… yes?" she asked, confused at Maura's tone.

"Jane, look at me." Confused she turned fully to her, Maura staring at her face. The blonde eased up her hand, her eyes dancing around that face she knew so well. Her mind reeled, if this woman that stood in front of her was an imposter there should be some flaw. But the longer she stared at Jane's face, her hand frozen in mid air, the more she started to believe this was truly Jane.

The Captain watched Maura's face as emotions flickered through it; they changed so fast she couldn't place them. Movement caught her eye and she watched as Maura's hand crept closer. Jane's skin tingled, anticipating the feeling of Maura's touch. The door's opened, the action making Maura drop her hand, taking a small step back. Jane hadn't noticed that they were standing so close, Maura's toes touching her own. Her stomach flopped when the blonde stepped back, already missing the warmth that had radiated from her body.

Jane allowed Maura to step out into the hall way first; her eyes lingered on the silver plague that sat on one of the walls, names lining it.

"Oh….," she stepped up to it, running her fingers over an engraved name. _Captain Vincent Korsak._ "I know him… I…"

"You know Captain Korsak?" Jane asked shocked.

"I do. Although he's not a Captain…," Maura trailed off again, her eyes going down to the name that was under it. _Captain Jane Rizzoli._ In the medbay she had heard the people there call her Captain but it didn't really click in Maura's mind until now.

"You run this ship?" Maura asked, looking up at the brunette that stood a little behind her.

"I do."

"You never settle for anything besides the best. Let me guess? You're the first woman to be promoted to the status of Captain?" Jane's face grew hard.

"How did you know that?" Maura shrugged.

"Lucky guess." Jane gapped at her, not knowing what to say. First this woman had known her name even before she told it to her, she knew Korsak and now she was saying she knew that Jane was the first woman who was promoted Captain after the up risings. She stepped forward, her shoulders squared, getting into Maura's personal space.

"Who the hell are you?" she rasped, her voice threatening. Without thinking about it Maura placed her hand on a flexed arm, feeling it relax under her touch, just like it used too.

"I told you, I'm Maura." This time, Maura looked into Jane's heated gaze looking for something, looking for a flicker of recognition that would give her away, would tell Maura that Jane already knew her before all this madness. But there was nothing, nothing that gave Jane away. "If you're just Maura," she put air quotes around the name. "Then how do you know all of this?" Her voice was softer now, Maura's touch calming her.

"It's hard to explain… I don't even know myself," she paused looking at something behind Jane. "Jane," her voice broke, her eyes glistened with tears. "How did I get her… am I dead?" Jane was shocked at her question, her angry quickly faded.

"No Maura, no," she grabbed the woman's hand, gripping it tightly. "You couldn't be any more wrong Maura. It's just a long story." Jane spoke softly, afraid of upsetting the smaller woman again.

"Tell me Jane please. I'm just… so, so, so lost." Sob's broke through the womans speech. Jane grabbed Maura pulling her into a hug, wanting, needing to comfort her. The blonde sobbed into Jane, making the Captain hold her tighter. After a few minutes, Maura calmed down, her face still resting on Jane's collarbone.

"Come on, I think a bed time story is in order." Maura laughed as she pulled away from Jane who had a smirk on her face. They walked down the hall; Jane could see her door sitting at the end. Punching in a code on the Holoscreen the door opened softly, reviling a medium sized apartment. It wasn't as big as Jane's but it was comfy. A bed was tucked away in the corner, a window sitting above it, opposite of the bed was a desk, couch, and small kitchen with a table and two doors sat against the wall, one leading to a closet the other into a bathroom with a shower.

Maura walked in looking around. She stopped in front of a window that sat against the wall and looked out it. The soft blue of the ships shield rippled across the thick glass, space pressing against it. Jane watched silently as she wrapped her arms around herself, one foot tipping onto its side in the boots to big. Her skirt was wrinkled, her shirt was still covered by Jane's jacket, and she still had yet to take it off.

"If you don't mind, I can run down to my room and grab us something to eat and maybe a change of clothes for you?"

"Oh," Maura seemed to realize that she was still wearing Jane's jacket; she started to shrug it off.

"No keep it, you'll need a jacket trust me and I've got plenty. I'll be right back okay?" Jane didn't move; waiting to make sure that Maura would be alright by herself.

"Okay." Maura watched Jane smile, slipping out the door and turning left. Maura looked around the room at its bare walls and cold air. _No one's lived her in sometime._ She thought. She walked over to the double bed and sank down on it, the mattress was soft under her, promising a good night's rest. Her hands ached; bruises peeked out around the white gauze. She was surprised that she hadn't broken her hands. Her mind reeled, casting the images of what happened in the bathroom on her mind's eye. She closed her eyes remembering how the gun had materialized out of nowhere, the thought gave her goosbumps.

"I am really loosing it…" she whispered to herself. She thought about the thing that appeared in her living room before all of this. She rested her face in her hands thinking. She had seen a woman there in the murky image, a brunette woman who was yelling at someone, her finger stabbing into their chest. The murky image was enough though; Maura knew that it was Jane who was standing on the other side. Is this what happens when you die? You get sent here, the people seeming unsure of their pasts or how they died? Why was she different? How come she remembered everything before she was sent here through that blinding white tunnel? Was it because she had tried to kill herself? Suicidal people were forced to be in this place and remember their past as a punishment for taking their own lives?

Maura had too many questions and not enough answers. She lifted her head when she heard the noise of the door opening, reviling an arms full Jane. Maura started to stand up to help her but Jane simply flicked her hand, a silent, _I got it._ She carefully laid the stuff on the table, Maura walking up next to her.

"I didn't actually have anything that was already ready," Jane started which made Maura smile. "But I did manage to get enough to pass for sandwiches. Is that okay?" she asked, two sandwiches were wrapped up and sat on top of some folded clothes.

"Perfect," Maura said grabbing the food and setting it aside, allowing Jane to pick up the folded clothes and set them in the closet. "Do you want to eat and talk?" suddenly Jane was very nervous, she didn't understand why.

"Okay," Maura said, sitting down while Jane grabbed two glasses filling them up with water from the sink.

"It's not the best water in the world," Jane said setting a glass down in front of the blonde with a shrug.

"That's alright." Jane quickly un-wrapped her sandwich and picked up a half biting into it eagerly. Maura inspected the food, not wanting to know what was inside of it, Jane seemed to be enjoying it so Maura took a leap of faith and bit into it. Flavors swirled into her mouth making her moan softly, her hunger taking over. They ate in silence for a few minutes, both trying to quell the hunger pains.

"Hapsha, this ship, was hired by a Dr. Charles," Jane suddenly spoke making Maura look up from her food. "Normally civilians aren't allowed to ask for transportation from a military ship but he pulled some strings." She shrugged, taking a drink of her water before continuing. "He said he had a way of observing a parallel Universe." Maura gasped, her mind turning.

"Mine?" Jane nodded. "Are you telling me that I'm in a different Universe?" Jane nodded again. Maura stared down at the table, the woman across from her speaking again.

"But he needed to open a portal next to a black hole, so incase anything happened, the 'tear' would just be sucked into the black hole and not harm my Universe."

"But what would then happen to mine?" Jane laughed bitterly.

"I asked the same thing, he didn't seem to care though. I was ordered to pretty much make sure that he was able to do his little project no matter what." She sighed heavily before continuing. "So we got to the black hole and we opened the portal to look at your Universe and see how different it was from our own but for some reason-"

"It opened in my entrance way of my house and not overlooking a city?"

"Yeah. Everything was going fine. We watched you walk in and…" Jane trailed off, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry whatever happened to you to make you hurt that much," she said softly to Maura.

"Oh," the blonde whispered, covering her face with one of her hands.

"Then after you grabbed that black object all hell broke loose on my end."

"Mine too," Maura groaned.

"For some reason the portal actually fully opened on your side, something to do with the black hole mumbo jumbo, I'm not really sure. But the next thing I knew there was this white tube that had blown a hole in the side of my ship and things were being thrown out of the portal and then something happened," Jane grunted, her hand fiddling with the glass. "The shield around the outside of the ship started to fail, exposing the room we were in to space and Hapsha itself was being forced into the pull of the black hole. The shield kept flickering out and… and we lost some people, including Dr. Charles, but we managed to get everyone else out of there and then-"

"That's when I came through this portal?" Maura asked, trying to comprehend everything.

"Yeah I was about to leave when you flew out. There wasn't enough time to get us both out and I knew that the hole in the side of the ship was making Konif," she explained further at Maura's confused face. "The redhead woman that was in the bed next to you, she's the ships pilot." At Maura's nod she kept talking. "The hole was making it harder for Konif to steer the ship out of the pull, so I closed the door and you and I were launched into space… you know the rest."

Maura simply sat there staring at Jane.

"You're saying I came through a _portal_ and ended up in a different _Universe_?!"

"You know, when you say it like that, it does sound pretty unbelievable," Jane said simply. Maura shook her head.

"This is just something I would conjure up. There are things here that interest my mind, people that I know… you're here." Maura was speaking faster now, her breathes coming in pants.

"Whoa Maura, just breathe, calm down."

"Calm down!" Maura shouted, standing up. "How am I supposed to calm down when all of this is fake? It's all just a conjuration of my mind and I actually killed myself and now I'm somehow here in this place?" Maura was pacing in the small room, Jane watching here. "And here you are," she gestured roughly towards the brunette. "Alive and torturing me."

"Maura," Jane started to stand up but Maura's gaze made her freeze. "You didn't kill yourself, I don't know why you think you did-"

"Because I had the gun in my hand, your gun! I was so tired of feeling the pain, so tired of having you come speak to me when you aren't even alive!" Jane finally snapped up, tired of hearing that she wasn't real. She walked up to Maura so fast that the blonde actually took a step back but Jane didn't stop, she firmly grabbed Maura's hand and placed it on her chest.

"I am very much alive." Maura felt it. The beating of Jane's heart as it pounded inside her rib cage, surrounded by her lunges that expanded and shrank with each breath she took, the air being absorbed and pushed into the blood stream, pushed into blood that was being pumped by the muscle that sat at the very center, the one that allowed everything to live. Maura could feel the heat of Jane's touch as blood worked its way through her body keeping her warm and her cells alive. Finally Maura looked up at Jane, hazel looking into fierce deep brown.

"I'm alive Maura."

"B-but I was there… when you died… When you were pulled out of that burning building… your body was…. I was there." Tear's fell out of her eyes against her will. Jane pressed against her hand harder.

"Whatever happened, I'm here now." Jane lifted her hand up, brushing away the tears with her thumb. Something in her heart made her want to comfort this woman as much as possible, wanted to make her feel safe and protected at all times.

Maura felt like a black cloud was starting to be lifted, her mind seeming to clear and push through the acidic mud that was eating at it, eating at her sanity. New memories seemed to surface, her standing in her morgue all by herself, talking to herself, no one talking back. How it was herself that talked her into believing that none of this was real in the bathroom, not Jane.

"I was somehow transported from my Universe into a parallel Universe," Maura said to herself, the tears stopping. She let out a soft laugh. "I don't think I can ever accept that… Everyone I know is gone, everything I've ever had doesn't matter now and you… you're the same… yet so different." Jane raised an eyebrow dropping her hands; Maura left hers on Jane's chest. "You're so… I don't know, quiet? You normally speak your mind whenever you get the chance." This brought a raspy laugh from Jane.

"Trust me, I do that."

"It's just so weird… like I have to re-get to know you." Jane finally asked the question that had been gnawing away at her.

"Who was I to you?" Maura dropped her hand and turned around walking away from Jane. "Maura?" even though they could speak to each other now, they had gone so long with just using their names that the brunette felt this was the best way to get her thoughts and feelings across. The blonde immediately picked up on the desperation, the need to know. She sat back down on the bed, sighing, leaving Jane standing.

"I…," she cleared her throat. She spoke so softly Jane almost missed it. _"You're the love of my life._" The brunette stood there, her arms slack at her side, back stiff, legs feeling like they were iron rods sticking into the ground.

"We… I mean… you and the other Jane," the term felt like daggers were being thrown at Maura's chest. "We're in love?" The sitting woman shrugged.

"I don't know about you. But I know I was. I knew I loved you since the day I met you. Almost ten years ago. It may seem unbelievable, but I knew." Jane didn't know how to feel, so she stupidly asked,

"And when you see me… are you still…?" Maura scoffed.

"Yes, I will always love you Jane, always." Jane shoved her hands into her pockets, her gaze falling to the floor.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Maura asked confused.

"That you have to see me, be around me. From what you've told me things didn't seem like they were easy for you after the other me died. But now here I am, alive."

"_You have no idea_," Maura whispered, her hand fiddling with her ring finger, spinning an invisible ring.

"I'll uh," Jane took a small step backwards. "I'll get out of your hair then. I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me," her words sounded hurt but determined.

"No, please don't." Maura stood up, going to grab Jane's arm but thought better of it. "Please don't just leave me alone Jane." The Captain watched as Maura's face fell. _"Don't leave me alone again, please?"_ Maura let out an _"oomph"_ when Jane pulled her into another hug. Maura could feel Jane's heartbeat against her body, her own heart matching it.

"Never, never again."

* * *

***sigh* _feels._**

**They're finally talking. I'm happy about that. But ya know, there's still a lot of road to cover.**

**Thanks for reading, I hopped you liked this chapter it was a hard one to write :/**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

**No pressure.**

**Take Care. - FTP**


	16. Chapter 16

_"Never, never again."_

Jane squeezed Maura for a second longer, feeling the other woman hold her tightly also. The Captain had no idea what had overcome her, suddenly she was making promises and hugging this stranger. Yet she couldn't shake something, an itch in the back of her mind. As she felt Maura's hands grip her tighter it almost felt like she had felt them before.

She felt fear and uncertainly twist at her stomach at that thought. She inhaled, trying to regain her composure but she felt the muscles in her shoulders relax, her nose picking up just the faint trace of vanilla, like it had when she was giving Maura the boots. Something about the smell made her forget that they were from two different Universes, made her forget that they were strangers. Quickly Jane let go, stepping out of Maura's arms. She coughed into her fist, trying to clear her voice, but it still came out raspy.

"I won't, okay?"

"Okay," Maura replied softly, wiping at a stray tear. She stepped out of Jane's grasp, collecting herself. The Captain's memory seemed to kick in finally.

"Oh, Maura…," Jane hesitated, waiting until the blonde turned to look at her. "Some… things came through with you." Maura tilted her head asking,

"Something's came through the portal with me you mean?"

"Yeah," Jane answered, remembering the shell thing that Officer Carlson was holding and the dark bag the other Officer was holding. "A bag of some sort, I'm not sure if whatever was inside of i-" but Maura cut her off before she could finish.

"Bass, please tell me Bass is alright!?" Maura asked urgently, walking up to her, locking eyes with Jane.

"Bass?"

"My tortoise." Jane's face fell, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Your what?"

"My tortoise," Maura said again, her face urgent. Jane looked down at her Omnicuff, making sure her translator was still working. When she got a green light back Jane grew even more confused.

"I uh…. I have no idea what a… tortoise is?" Jane's raspy voice stumbled over the odd word.

"It's an animal often times mistaken for a turtle." Jane perked up at the word turtle.

"Hey I know what turtles are. But I have no idea what a…. tortoise is. I'm pretty sure the shelly thing was an animal though." Jane scratched the back of her neck, upset that she couldn't provide Maura with more information.

"Where is he? I have to make sure that he's alright." Maura's mind raced, Bass being the last connection that she has to her old life, Maura needed to see him. Jane watched as the other woman started to pace slowly. The Captain gulped feeling out of her element, not knowing how to calm her down.

"Bass… Is in quarantine along with the other things that came through with you."

"He hasn't been feed, he needs to eat, I need to see him." Maura looked at the door that lead to the hallway, not thinking rationally. Jane finally rested one of her hands on the blonde's shoulder, getting her full attention.

"Maura, you're in no condition to start wondering around the ship, you're tired and need to rest. Tell me what Bass eats, I'll go down to the gardens, see if I can find something, hopefully and then bring him up here for you," Jane spoke louder hushing Maura's objections. "While I'm doing that, why don't you take a shower? You look like you need some help relaxing." Maura smiled softly again, no matter what Jane knew what she needed.

"I think I would like that actually."

"I thought as much," Jane said. She walked over to the table, wrapping up the rest of her sandwich and tucked it into her pants pocket. Turning around to face Maura again, she swiped her finger over her Omnicuff a blank screen popping up.

"So what does a turtle eat?" The Captain asked.

"It's a tortoise Jane," Maura said shaking her head.

* * *

After showing Maura how the shower works, which took longer than she had expected due to the blonde asking so many questions, Jane finally left Maura's apartment. The door closed softly behind her as she made her way to the elevator, rubbing her forehead. All of this business with Maura has been distracting her from her normal duties, but now it was too late, everyone would have gone back to their rooms, their shifts over.

Jane sighed as the elevator doors opened, still it wouldn't hurt to look and see how all the repairs were going. They wouldn't be able to fix the hole in the side of the ship until they get back to the Charkgin home world. Jane rocked on her feet as the elevator moved. They would have to slow down there normal speed. The door that separated the room that was subject to zero gravity and the rest of the ship was thin compared to the metals that made up the hull and she didn't want to take any chances.

She had ordered that section of the ship sealed off, no one allowed over there, she didn't want to lose even more of her crewmates. The doors opened reviling a deserted Wing D. She stepped out, her boots hitting the grated ground echoed down the long hallway. Jane slowed done her swagger, spotting the area where the fuel line exploded. Someone had welded a metal plate over the hole, making it look tacky. The floor wasn't littered with bits of metal like it was the first time she had seen it, when they found Jacob's body.

Jane stepped around where she knew where the Commanders body had lain, respecting that spot. Konif had only told them enough to understand how she had died, but other than that the redhead had grown silent. Jane itched to know what went down in her ship, what happened to cause such chaos. She sighed heavily and kept walking down the hall.

She opened a Holoscreen from her Omnicuff looking at the list of things that Maura had told her to grab. The Brunette looked up, the gardens stretching around her, the ceiling domed, artificial sun light coming down from it. Jane had forgotten just how massive this area was. It fed the ship with oxygen and filled the reserves, not to mention they eat the fresh plants. Jane rubbed a soft leaf between her pointer finger and thumb, looking at the row of plants there.

Maura had been very specific as to what Bass could and could not eat; half of the list was unknown to Jane and another chunk not an option due to them not having it on Hapsha. Sighing Jane walked around, looking for the handful of things that she hoped would be down her.

* * *

Maura sighed happily as water pounded against the tense muscles against her shoulders. She turned, letting the water spray down on her chest, her hair clinging to her neck and face. She closed her eyes, resting one of her hands against the wall, welcoming the steam that was filling the room, clearing her nasal cavities, helping her breath better. She took a step forward, bowing her head as the water sprayed against the back of her head. Her shoulders drooped as her mind grew blank for once, letting her enjoy this moment of normalcy.

* * *

Konif smiled at something Shafter had said, feeling its hand rest against her own, squeezing it softly. Palmer had passed out awhile ago, his light snores echoing through the medbay. Shafter's humming laughter slowly died down, its eyes looking away from her and into the tubes that tangled into her open Omnicuff.

"Shafter?" the redhead asked, looking at where it was.

"We almost lost you Olga…," it paused, its voice growing soft, its bottom two eyes slowly started to fill up with black, its third eye blinked twice; sadness. "I almost lost you." Konif turned her hand in Shafter's gripping its fingers.

"Shaf…," she spoke in a whisper, her other hand coming around, cupping the aliens face, making it look at her. Jane had once asked Shafter why Charkgin didn't cry. It was just out of mild curiosity, crying being such a big thing that Humans do to express their feelings. When Jane had asked, the redhead had stayed quiet, she had seen Shafter cry before; all those years ago when it had saved her life.

_Its long arms had wrapped her up, its tall body protecting her from the flames that blew out of the back thrusters of a Fighter by accident. She remembered it perfectly; looking up slowly as she felt heat envelop her but felt no sting of injury. Through the screams of people, all trying to turn off the flames before they killed Konif, no one spotting Shafter there, its Simitu suit saving her. She was shocked when she locked eyes with her savoir. Dark blue eyes met her own, tears falling from the Charkgins face, its neck vibrating._

"_Please be okay little human." _

Konif pulled herself out of the memory, looking at Shafter, a tear falling out of the eye next to her hand. She leaned forward, Shafter closing its eyes as Konif carefully kissed the tear off of its cheek, resting her forehead lightly against Shafters.

"But you didn't, I'm here," Konif paused, feeling Shafter lean forward, resting its face in the crook of her neck, its hand gripping hers. The redhead still had yet to drop her hand from its cheek. _"You didn't lose me,"_ she took a small breathe, lowering her voice even more, she felt her vocal cords strain as she spoke the next word. _"Kloonicht."_ She had been practicing it for so long, she had no idea how many times she sat alone, trying to say it over and over again, comparing it to a recording of Shafter saying it. She had known she could say it for a while now, but was always worried she didn't have it right. That she wasn't pronouncing Shafter's real name right.

Shafter suddenly purred loudly, pulling back a few inches, looking at Konif closely. It closed its bottom two eyes, leaving the third open; pleased. Slowly it took its other hand, still holding hers, and rested its thumb in the middle of her forehead, were her third eye would rest. Shafter's hums turned deeper,

"_Correct…," _it said softly, finally closing its third eye, dropping its hand. Konif let go of its hand, wrapping her arms around its shoulders, pulling Shafter closer to her, burring her face into its shoulder; trying to push away the thoughts of what ifs.

She sighed happily as Shafter held her closer still, feeling her body go relax as Konif slowly started to fall asleep.

Neither of them heard the door open, feet pounding against the ground as someone walked away.

* * *

Juggling the plants in her hands Jane clicked the Holoscreen with her hip, calling the elevator down. She tapped her foot impatiently, the elevator taking longer than normal. When the doors opened she smiled softly,

"Well, look, who it is," Jane said, stepping into the elevator with Shin-Tu. The man had an odd air about him, normally one with formalities, he didn't salute her, just said a sharp,

"Where too Captain Rizzoli?" He didn't even question why Jane had her hands filled with plants.

"Wing B." He clicked the button, the lift's atmosphere filling up with his bad mood. She didn't question him though not knowing him enough to have that right. The door's opened to Shin-Tu's destination, the base of the ship. He stepped out, nodding his head goodbye. Jane put her boot down, stopping the doors from closing.

"When your superior officer steps into the same area as you, it is often times considered polite to salute them and acknowledge their presence," she rasped out. The black haired man grew red, turning and saluting her. She stepped back into the lift, letting the doors close without returning the gesture, showing her anger to him.

But as soon as the doors closed Jane let out a puff of air, sighing heavily. She hated being rude, she hated calling people out, but she had to do it, it was her job. She tugged on a leaf, grumbling to herself. The doors opened softly, allowing a handful of people to step inside, Jane stepping out. The military personnel saluted while the others nodded their heads in greeting. Jane shifted her cargo stepping down the hallway. More people where here than anywhere else in the ship, the scientist test's needing to be monitored at all hours. Lab coat wearing people ran by her, stared at clipboards or spoke in low voices to their colleges, not wanting to ruin the soft hum of the room.

Jane kept walking though, heading towards the end of the wing. Windows lined both sides of the hall; the ones pointing towards space where farther apart and thicker; than the ones that where on her right. People walked around inside the room, looking into beakers and microscopes, the Human race still trying to decipher space. She spotted one or two Charkgin, humming next to their Human partners as they shared ideas. She couldn't stop the small smile spread across her face as she spotted a Jungken jump up and down, her pinchers clicking excitedly making a group of Humans run over to her, sharing in her excitement.

She looked back forward, weaving around a person pushing a cart just in time.

"Whoa that was a close one Captain!" The man said, laughing as he pushed the empty cart away from her. She simply nodded her head, spotting the door that she needed.

"Okay, let me get this straight. Those things came from a different Universe?" Jane was greeted by voices as she walked into the observation room that led to the quarantine room.

"I believe so, that's what Zaq said when he came by to drop them off."

"Oh, hey Captain." Kate Larson said, giving her a salute. Jane lifted her arms, showing they were full, indicating that Kate could be at ease. Jane let her arm load fall heavily on a free table.

"Captain Rizzoli, pleasure as always to see you," said a tall woman. She was older, her hair dotted with grey. She smiled softly at Jane, always kind to her.

"Dr…," Jane paused for half of a second, her eyes glancing down to the crisp identification tag that was pinned to her jacket. "Charlotte." The woman's smile beamed, acting like she hadn't noticed Jane's pause. There were over 2,000 people aboard this ship; she didn't expect Jane to remember everyone's name.

"I was just telling Kate here that these specimens were from Universe 201, well that's what Officer Carlson said at least." Jane stood next to them, looking into the white room. It was bare, save one small table with a sad chair next to it. The dark bag sat on top of it, the materiel shinning from the stark lights.

"Look! Look!" Kate said eagerly, pointing at something on the other side of the glass. "It's moving!" Dr. Charlotte stepped forward, getting a closer look at the animal that slowly crawled across the floor, looking for something.

"_Bass…," _Jane mumbled to herself. Both women looked at her, confusion on their faces. Jane ignored them, looking at the animal for a few more seconds before she explained further. "Maura, the woman that came through the portal," Jane paused as they nodded their heads. The Captain still had yet to make an official statement about Maura being aboard the ship, or about what really happened, but she knew the rumors kept everyone informed. "She told me that that animal's name is Bass." She stopped talking, looking back at the tortoise.

"I thought she couldn't speak," Kate thought aloud, hoping for further information from Jane, who stayed quiet. She walked over to the door, flashing her I.D. over the Holoscreen. As she walked into the room, she felt Kate and Dr. Charlotte's eyes on her. Jane slowed her walk as she came up to the tortoise who had retreated back into his shell from the sound of the door opening. Sighing, Jane turned away, looking at the bag. Her hand hesitated at the opening before grabbing the handles and walking out of the room. Jane had thought for a second that she should go through what was inside of the bag; get a better glimpse as to who Maura was.

But she thought better of it, this woman already going through so much. Without thinking about it Jane dropped the plants into the bag, making it easier on herself. She fiddled with her Simitu suits configurations as she walked back into the room, her eyes squinting against the light. She cracked her knuckles before squatting down, about to pick up the animal when she heard a strange noise from it. She bent down, her hand resting on top of its shell.

Bass's black eyes glared at her. She pulled her hand back as it tried to bit her pinky that hang over the edge of its shell. _Just great, the thing hates me already._ Jane thought. She slid her arm underneath it, her other wrapping around the top of Bass's shell, holding it close to her body. The Simitu would help her with the long journey back up to Wing A.

"Is that really safe?" Dr. Charlotte asked as Jane walked back out, the door hissing close behind her.

"Maura needs something to calm her down and as far as I can see it, this is the only connection she has to her old life."

"But Captain, we don't know what kin-" Jane cut the doctor off, sliding her arm through the handles of the bag, Bass carefully cradled in her arms.

"Did you not disinfect the room with these things inside of it?"

"Yes we did, but-" again the woman was cut off.

"Then I don't see any reason as to why we shouldn't help Maura come to terms that we have ruined her life. Furthermore, like I said earlier, these are the only connection that she has and as Captain, I deem them safe." Jane didn't wait for anymore arguments to break out between her and the doctor. The things that she now carried in her arm had been sitting in Hapsha for hours, not to mention being in close proximity with Zaq and his escape pod crewmates.

_It had been almost two days since the arrival of Maura, if these things were contiguous or held some secret virus; someone would have been showing a symptom by now._ Jane thought, reassuring herself. She was breaking major protocol with taking them out of quarantine. She walked down the hallway, no longer engrossed with the actions in the other rooms, lost in her thoughts. She shifted the animal against her body hearing it groan at her again.

"Yeah, yeah," Jane grumbled. She clicked the elevator Holoscreen with her hip. A few seconds later the door opened, she stepped inside, finding herself with only one other passenger again.

"Captain Rizzoli," Officer Carlson said, saluting her. She nodded her head.

"Wing A." He clicked the button, lights filtering in through the slots on top of the elevator. She cleared her throat, gaining the Officer's attention.

"Carlson," she glanced at him, he didn't even seem to care that she was holding a very angry tortoise in her hands. "How would you feel with a promotion?" Zaq blinked at her, confused. She looked back at the doors, glancing up to the Holoscreen that told them where they were in the ship as they moved. "You have always been more than willing to work alongside me and to leave the ship on missions."

"Ma'am?" he waited before she looked at him before continuing. "Are you asking if I would like to be Hapsha's new X.O.?"

"Not yet. It's…," Jane paused, frowning. "It's too soon to make that announcement officially. But I could use someone that has my back on board the ship while I leave." He stood at attention again, facing her.

"I would be honored Ma'am, thank you Ma'am." Jane glanced at him again, just as the doors to the top of Wing A opened.

"Carlson, please, stop calling me Ma'am, you're older than me," he smiled besides the circumstances of his promotion. "Rizzoli will do just fine," she said just as the doors closed on him. The Captain sighed heavily, pulling Bass closer to her chest as she walked down the hallway to Maura's room. With her hands full the only thing that Jane could do was pound the tip of her boot against the door. A few seconds ticked by which dragged on more. Frowning Jane pounded again with her boot.

"_I have no idea how to open the door,"_ came a muffled voice through the door. Jane couldn't help herself, a small smile started to spread across her face.

"Click the darker orange button on the Holoscreen." She stood there waiting for a few more seconds before the door whooshed open, reviling a shocked Maura.

"Fascinating…." She stopped, spotting what Jane held in her hands. Maura kept staring, not believing her eyes that it was actually Bass.

"Uh… Can I come in, he's getting kinda heavy…," Jane huffed, shifting the animal again. Maura looked flustered as she stepped to the side, allowing Jane to walk in. She quickly went to the very center of the room and carefully sat Bass down who immediately tried to bite her retreating hand. As soon as Jane had set the animal down Maura had rushed over, dropping to her knees. She was wearing some clothes that Jane had brought in; they seemed a bit too small and large for her in certain places.

"Bass…" Maura said, resting her hand on top of his shell. He slowly stuck out his head at the presence of his owner.

"Oh right," the Captain said crouching a little bit away from the pair. She set the bag on the floor, opening it up. "I couldn't find everything that you mentioned, but I think I got some of the other stuff." Maura left her hand on Bass but shifted over so she could peer into the bag.

"My purse made it through?" Jane mealy shrugged pulling out a leaf and handed it to Maura. The blonde grabbed it examining it as Jane pulled out the other plants, setting them out so Maura could look at them.

"So Bass huh? Who's that? An old boyfriend?" Jane tried to joke. Maura placed the food in front of her animal.

"No, after William H. Bass, the forensic anthropologist who founded the famous body farm," Maura said with a smile.

"Ah, I should have known." Maura's face darkened for a second before she quietly shook her head, focusing on her pet. Jane watched Maura as she seemed to get rid of the dark thought that had made itself known. Dropping her gaze she reached her hand in again, pulling the final plant up when she froze, seeing something in the bag. She didn't know what it was, but she instantly recognized herself on it, along with Maura.

"I think these will do," Maura said. The Captain looked at the thing in the purse for a few more seconds before looking back up to the blonde. She was looking at the plants that sat in front of her, distracted. The brunette looked back down into the bag, looking at the thing. With a rush of air Jane stood up straight, looking down at a questioning Maura.

"Well, if everything is alright here I have to go," her voice was deep and held something Maura couldn't quite place. Jane bit her tongue, feeling anxious to be alone, to sort out her troubled thoughts that suddenly attacked her mind.

"I think so…?" Maura said, looking at her.

"Alright, good. So I'll wake you up in the morning? Give you the grand tour, or maybe get Shafter to do it? Would that be okay? I have a… a few things I need to take care of," Jane said this as she started to step back. Maura slowly stood up, watching Jane back away. _Maybe she just needed to sleep too. Today had been rather busy._ Maura thought.

"Okay." Jane turned, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then." Before Maura could say anything else, Jane walked away, the door closing behind her, leaving the blonde alone with Bass.

* * *

**I am saddened by the lose of Lee Thompson Young. May he rest in peace.**

**If you need anyone to talk to, know that I am here and more then willing to listen. -FTP**


	17. Chapter 17

Jane rolled over grumbling her clock beeping nosily at her. With a groan she reached out and clicked it off rolling onto her back. Blue wisped across the window that sat in the roof, the ships shield flickering by. The Captain had barely gotten any sleep last night her mind racing. She threw her arm over her face, closing her eyes.

The picture of her and Maura tumbled into view of her mind's eye. At first she had no idea what it was but forcing herself to think about it for four hours it finally dawned on her that it was a photo. She kicked her leg out, the blanket flying off of her. In the photo she was leaning against a table Maura mirroring her. There were things she didn't recognize but she did recognize that look they were sharing. She had seen it so many times passed between Konif and Shafter. The brunette knew they didn't do it on purpose but they would sometimes glance at each other, their faces telling the story of the moment but their eyes telling a different one.

That was the look she had saw herself giving Maura in the picture. Jane sat up, swinging her legs around as her mind turned in circles again. It was one thing to listen to Maura's story, to sympathies with her and accept the ideathat there was another her. But something that had scared her, which had made her bolt out of Maura's room so fast was the fact that she didn't remember taking that photo. All of this had been just an idea to Jane a possibility that barley had any evidence besides Maura.

She stood up, rubbing her face as she walked to her small kitchen. Everything Maura had told her raced through her mind. It was one thing to hear Maura say that Jane had actually died but now that she had seen the photo Jane felt like it was all that more real. _Not to mention that fucking turtle…_ she thought to herself. Jane slammed down the cup she was drinking from onto the counter, gripping the edge of the small sink there.

* * *

Maura and the other Jane had been dating; Maura even told her that she loved her. _No, she loves the other Jane not you. _She rubbed her face, leaving her hands there trying to calm her nerves. What if the blonde tried something? _No she won't._ Jane was at war with herself. Half of her believed that now by default Maura was in love with her but her other half was telling her that she was completely different than the other Jane that had died.

Quickly the Captain stepped out of her Simitu suit and walked over to the bathroom naked, turning on the shower. The warm water fell over her, bouncing off of the metal of her Omnicuff. Jane looked up at the ceiling, sighing heavily closing her eyes. This whole situation was becoming even a bigger mess then she needed it to be.

She snapped her eyes open, grumbling to herself. Maura had been so scared to be left alone; she wanted Jane to be next to her in this new place, to help her slowly accept what had happened to her. Yet here Jane was. She had bolted last night, leaving the woman alone even though she had promised she wouldn't. Slamming her hand into the Holoscreen of the shower, the water stopping as she wrapped a towel around her body, cursing herself.

Maura had her knees pulled up to her chest, staring at Bass as he slept. The orange clock on the wall said that it was seven in the morning but it felt much later. She looked over at one of the windows that sat against the wall.

Black. Nothing but blackness. Blue shinned over the window and occasionally she saw a few twinkling lights.

_Distant stars._ She thought to herself. _Why would they bother with putting a window if there's nothing to see? _But she knew the answer; she knew that they did it so people wouldn't feel like they were caged animals. Maura yawned widely, her legs numb from being in the same position all night long. She hadn't slept, trying for the first couple of hours but she just found herself lying awake.

She sighed looking back over at Bass her purse sitting next to him. She had been staring at it all night long, trying to come up with the courage to open it and rifle through its contents. She knew what had been in there the day she….

Maura stopped herself from thinking and leant forward, stretching out her arm grabbing her purse. She let it settle in front of her crossed legs the zipper undone. Carefully Maura pulled apart the bag looking inside. There sat a few more plants that Jane had placed in there. The Blonde paused remembering how Jane was leaning over the bag pulling out the food for Bass when she had stopped. Maura had notice Jane freeze but she didn't comment on it, too busy with Bass. But something had made her close up, bottle her emotions and bolt.

_Just like she used too._

Thinking Maura pulled out the plants, setting them next to her folded leg before opening the bag wider looking in. Slowly she pulled out the picture seeing herself and Jane. The Captain must have seen this, seen a photo she was never a part of. Maura brushed her thumb over the image of Jane's smiling face her heart pounding in her chest. She had savored those moments when the other woman from this place had touched her, even held her. All tough, Maura knew, it wasn't the Jane she had fell in love with.

No, this one was different. She spoke less and jumped to conclusions unlike her Jane. Maura smiled softly looking at the raven locks that fell around her girlfriends shoulder in the photo. Her Jane jumped to conclusions before she met Maura also. _Maybe they're not all that different?_ She asked herself. Maura folded her legs up to her chest again sighing as she rested her chin on her knees staring at the picture. Her thumb brushed over Jane's face again her eyes staring at the dimples that sat there from her smirk.

**Three weeks before Universe 201Jane's death:**

_Maura sighed happily as the brunettes weight rested fully against her, Jane's arms wrapped around her, smirking down at her. Maura could feel the blush slowly leave her chest as her breathing regulated her body growing tired after her high. She trailed her hand up Jane's back, cupping her face. Her thumb landed on a deep dimple that poked out whenever she smiled._

"_Have you always had these?" The blonde leaned up kissing the dimple softly. She had known children that didn't have them only for them to show up in their adult life. Jane's eyes flickered something before she rolled off of Maura the sheet pulling between them. The brunette huffed, a piece of hair falling away from her face. Maura leaned up on her elbow looking down at her._

"_Did I say something wrong?" she asked worried by the sudden shift in Jane's mood. The brunette next to her fiddled with her hands that sat on her bare stomach._

"_No… I just…," she trailed off looking up at the ceiling. _

"_You just what Jane?" Maura asked her voice soft wanting to know what had upset her girlfriend. Finally Jane looked at her._

"_I know if I answer you that, yes I've always had my dimples you would go into some super science explanation about how it's fascinating that that can happen and then you'll go all google mouth on me and talk about shit I don't know." Maura blinked at her. "I just kinda' hate it when you do that, especially right after we have sex."_

Maura was pulled out of her thoughts when there was a soft knock on the door to her room. Tucking the photo into her pocket Maura pushed herself up walking over to the door. She hesitated for a second trying to remember what button to press. When it whooshed open she mentally gave herself a pat on the back for getting it right on the first try.

"Hey, did I wake you?" Jane's voice rasped at her. From the looks of it the Captain looked like she didn't get any sleep either, no doubt the photo weighing heavily on her mind.

"No, I never went to sleep." Maura deadpanned. "The… ship is rather loud." Jane chuckled softly.

"Yeah she is. It takes awhile to get used to it but then again. I find myself having a hard time falling asleep when I'm not on Hapsha. The noise and soft lights just put me to sleep like that," Jane snapped her fingers to add emphasis to her point. Maura spoke without thinking about it.

"Often times the mind will pick up and grow used to certain noises and when you take them out it has a hard time adjusting. And I have noticed that Hapsha is rather dimly lit this can could cause you to have Circadian Rhythm Disorder." Jane looked at her. The blonde was about to open her mouth to apologies for breaking out into "google talk" when the Captain spoke.

"Oh… I guess that would make sense. So what, do I find something that resembles the noise that Hapsha makes and I'll fall asleep better? Maybe close the blinds?" Jane looked at her waiting for an answer while Maura was waiting for her to smirk in her jokingly manner but the Captain just stood there out in the hallway. Biting her lip Maura spoke.

"I would highly recommend you to find noises that resemble what… Hapsha makes when you are not aboard. This will allow you to cycle through REM and all of the NREM stages of sleeping which should help you with your day to day activities."

"Thanks I'll try that next time I'm on world." Jane smiled softly at her thinking about where she could actually get something like that.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Maura stepped aside, sweeping her arm out. "Would you like to come in?"

"No actually, we have to get some food into you and then have Shafter show you around and maybe," Jane's eyes quickly scanned Maura's outfit. "Get you some better clothes." Maura glanced down at what she was wearing, gripping the bottom of the shirt pulling it down.

"That would be a good idea." Jane stepped back allowing Maura to join her in the hallway. The blonde threw one last look at Bass's sleeping form before stepping out the door closing softly behind her. They walked down the hall in silence Jane finally speaking up as they waited for the elevator.

"You seem… to be doing better today," there was a hint of concern in her voice. Maura stared at the orange screen with things flashing across it.

"As do you." The Captain smiled bitterly next to her.

"I'm sorry about… leaving how I did… I just…,"

"It finally all caught up with you?" Maura asked softly looking at her.

"Yeah it did." The other woman smiled placing her hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Just don't let it overwhelm you or you'll end up having an episode like I did." She let her hand drop looking down at her bandages. Wanting to change the subject Jane said,

"That reminds me, we should also swing by the medbay; no doubt Dr. Peirce wants to get those off of you as soon as possible." The doors opened in front of them the elevator seeming too small for the two of them. Jane clicked the button for Wing B the doors closed leaving Jane to her last memories of when they were in here. The light flashed on them, she could feel Maura's eyes on her. They were subtle but she could feel them glancing at her every few seconds. The Captain looked up at the Holoscreen that told them where they were in the ship. Her hair fell back showing off her face, the woman next to her gasped.

"What?" Jane asked looking at her. Maura had turned to her staring at her face.

"I didn't notice it before. Could you look up again please?" After giving Maura a strange look Jane did as she was asked which only made Maura huff out. She grabbed Jane's chin. Jane swallowed feeling Maura's soft hands against her skin. The blond pulled Janes head down a little bit before saying,

"Right there, stay right there." Jane knitted her eyebrows together, her eyes looking down as lights flickered on her face from the top slits of the elevator's movements. "You have a scar on your eyebrow. I didn't notice it before." Jane dropped her head, her finger coming up to caress the skin where she knew the scar sat. It was faint now, but it sat just along the edge of the hair there. "How did you get it?"

The doors opened showing a group of people wanting to get on the lift. They stepped aside allowing the Captain through. They ignored Maura now, her outfit no longer standing out. But some threw her curious looks as they noticed the absence of an Omnicuff. No doubt rumors as to who Maura was spread through the ship.

"I was out on a mission when a blast from a sonic rifle grazed me." Maura gasped, putting her hand over her mouth.

"Were you okay?"

"Yeah I was fine," Jane chuckled.

They walked down the hall moving around the other people, everyone starting there day with food. "And enough about me. You have barley told me anything about you. I feel horrible for just talking about myself all the time." She threw a smile at Maura, encouraging her to speak.

"What would you like to know?"

"Well, every time I ask you deflect the question rather skillfully," Maura's mind raced thinking of all the questions she had refused to answer to Jane, the amount large for the small time she had been able to speak to her. "You said that you were a doctor. What kind of doctor?"

"I'm a Pathologist and I… I was the chief medical examiner." Jane stepped into a massive room before Maura, people talking softly with each other eating and trying to wake up.

"So you cut up dead people?" Maura couldn't help but smile at Jane's easy explanation.

"Yes." They stepped up to a long row of containers holding food, Jane handing Maura a plate. Jane moved down the line first scooping up food onto her plate, ignoring the looks that people gave her and Maura.

"That's interesting that- don't eat that if you don't like spicy food- that you would pick something that was -oh no anything in the red tines Humans can't eat- that was more on the hardcore side of medicine." Jane spoke helping Maura dish out her breakfast. "What made you want to become that?" Jane asked, waiting at the end of the line. All the tension that she had been carrying with her that morning seemed to melt away the longer she stayed with Maura the more she talked to her.

"What made you want to become a Captain of a space ship?" Maura shot back. The brunette grinned at her.

"I see your point." Jane's eyes scanned the room looking around spotting her friend. It was hard to miss it being the only Charkgin in the room. "Oh hey, I see Shafter over there. Do you want to join it?" Maura nodded her head spotting the tall alien eating by itself a tablet sitting next to its plate. They walked over to the table, Jane leading the way as the walking space shrunk between all of the bodies.

"But really Jane, what did make you want to become a Captain of a space ship?" Maura asked as they were able to walk side by side again.

"It's because she enjoys bossing people around," Shafter hummed playfully when he heard Maura's voice coming up next to it.

"That may or may not have been the only reason why I joined the fleet," Jane joked as she sat down, Maura doing the same.

"It's nice to see you again Maura and this time with no new injuries." Maura's smile fell by just a fraction.

"I thought a nice warm breakfast would do her good," Jane spoke up noticing the mood shift in the blonde. Maura watched as Jane dug into her food, humming in satisfaction. She glanced down at her own plate, thinking about what to try first.

"The green stuff is actually cut up Shvista," Shafter spoke up squinting its eyes; humor.

"What?" Maura asked, looking back down at the food on her plat. "What is a Shvista?" Shafter hummed louder.

"It's a giant-" Jane's spoke over her friend.

"Don't mind Shafter it thinks it's so funny in the early mornings and no it's not cut up Shvista it's…," she paused. "its food. Food is food. Just try some, it's good for you." She said triumphantly going back to her own plate. Maura bit her lip, fiddling with the utensil in her hand, Shafter's eyes on her. With a moment of hesitation Maura scooped up a some before biting into it. Her eyes grew wide as flavor exploded in her mouth. Jane grinned. "I told you." Maura chewed, savoring the taste. _I have to stop judging the food here. _

Shafter hummed, biting into his own food with its hidden mouth. Maura watched curiously as it swallowed the holes in its neck clamping close. Jane grew silent next to her, too wrapped up in eating to keep the conversation going.

"Shafter?" the alien looked up at her from the tablet it was looking at. The alien had been bursting with anticipation to speak to Maura again but knew it had to keep its distance. While Maura sat across from it it had been staring blankly at the Holotablet, the words not forming a meaning, all of its nerves amped up, trying to stop the need to ask Maura a thousand questions.

"Yes?" Maura bit her lip as Shafter closed all three of its eyes; wondering what Maura wanted.

"May I ask you something? Something about your species?" The aliens humming grew louder at Maura's need to know.

"Of course you may," it said, setting down the fork it was using, turning all of its attention towards her. Jane ate glancing between the two but didn't speak.

"With all of this technology… I was wondering if your race,"

"The Charkgin as the Humans call us," Shafter spoke, giving her new information. Maura smiled at it, glad for the correction.

"I was wondering if the Charkgin have always been a marine based species or if with the use of technology made you look how you are today." Jane made a slurping noise as she ate but also focused on the conversation at hand. Shafter closed two of its eyes leaving the third open; pleased.

"Not at all. We have not used our technology to alter our DNA or appearance in anyway. In fact the only thing that we have created that could possible lead to an argument on this topic is the Simitu suits." It gestured to the skin tight materiel it was wearing. It was a solid black making Shafter's soft green skin stand out.

"So do the Charkgin have the ability to breathe underwater?" The bottom two eyes of Shafters eyes filled up with blue, the third filling up with black; intrigued.

"Sadly we do not. But like most sea mammals on the Human home word, Earth, we are able to hold our breath up to twenty hours if we wish. Although, I do have to admit it's not very comfortable." Shafter blinked clearing its eyes back to what they were.

"And what about that?" Maura asked. "How is it that you can change the color of your iris?" Shafter hummed in thought.

"This is rather fascinating actually, looking at it from a Human prospective. Unlike the Human iris the Charkgin have layers of muscle on top of each other thus allowing it to contract, if need be to allow more light into the pupil but also allows them to twist showing different colors." To prove a point Shafters eyes suddenly turned green before quickly going back to their normal blue. Maura sat back in her chair looking at the alien who hummed in amusement at the blonde's astonishment. "It also helps us express our emotions when speaking to one another or speaking to a different race." Maura took a bite of her food, chewing thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Charkgin do not speak to each other as Human's, Jungken's and Oper's do who use their vocal cords to form speech. My people speak using body movements and facial cues. Most of our movements are so subtle that other races can't pick up that we're moving at all. In fact," Shafter raised its right arm showing the thin silver band that wrapped around its wrist. "With the Human creation of the Omnicuff they hope to log and archive all of the Charkgin movements." Maura blinked at him her mind absorbing all of the information that was being thrown at her. "I am the first Charkgin to wear one so progress with the archive is slow."

"Speaking of Omnicuff's," Jane mumbled all of a sudden. Both Shafter and Maura had forgotten the Captain sitting there. She clicked on a flashing green button a Holoscreen popping up with a Officers face. He saluted the Captain before speaking.

"Captain Rizzoli there's a call for you in the Holoroom from Luna base." Jane grew stiff her face hardening.

"Tell them I'll be right there." She closed out of the call, staring at the table for a second before rubbing her face.

"You knew you had to speak to them soon rather than later Jane," Shafter spoke softly towards his friend. She sighed, leaning her arms on the table.

"Yeah, I'd rather it be later though. Maura I have to leave and take care of some things. Do you think you could stay with Shafter?" The alien hummed, having already agreed to Jane's request this morning. The blonde grinned back at the alien saying a perky,

"Of course."

"Great, I'll find you guys when I can. Maura will tell you, Shaf, where she needs to go." She gripped Shafters shoulder as she walked by it giving her friend a silent thanks. She threw a smile over her shoulder at Maura with a wave. Jane got rid of her tray walking out of the room hearing Shafters humming voice fade away. She shoved her hands in her pockets as she stood in the elevator, rocking back and forth on her feet, tension bouncing off of her in waves.

The few other people in the lift made small talk with each other bring in into the conversation every now and again. But for the most part she ignored them her mind to full to hold idle chit chat. The doors opened dropping the people off leaving Jane alone. She sighed again, her fatigue already catching up to her. The brunette leaned against the wall closing her tired eyes as she waited for the doors to open fully.

Her feet felt heavy in her boots as she walked towards the lab that held the massive Holoroom. She greeted the people in the room politely before heading towards the closed doors, slipping inside. The room was already spinning, the thousand of lights etching a picture on the moving walls. Major White stood there his face grim. She stood at attention saluting him.

"Sir." He leaned against the railing that circled his image not saluting her back.

"Captain Rizzoli," his voice was hard and cold, sending chills down her spine. "You have some explaining to do."

* * *

***yawns***

**I really need to stop starting new chapters at midnight .**

**Love ya! - FTP**


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